Residing Chaos
by Aki and Tenshi
Summary: Teen Titans n' Harry Potter crossover. Voldemort has kidnapped the Titans in order to get Raven to do his dirty work. by Aki. Not compliant with HBP or DH.
1. just another day

This story is a Teen Titan, Harry Potter cross-over. This first chapter is pretty much all Teen Titans, but trust me, thier is HP influence and thier will be alot more in later, even the next, chapters. Hope you like it, if you do please review.

Also- the rec room and living room are the same place.

Thier will be hinted romance, but not alot. Actually barely any.We allknow Starfire and Robin like each other.

**Disclaimer-** I do not own any of the charactors, places, things, ect. expect the plot and the glurslop. It will make sense in due time

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Chapter One

It was just another day at Teen Tower. Early that day they had kicked some bad guy butt, and now they were relaxing, if you can call the residing havoc relaxing. Beast Boy and Cyborg were playing a video game, while arguing about who was better, an argument, I assure you, happens everyday. Robin was sitting at a separate computer, trying to trace a run-away villain and listening to unhealthily loud music. Someone had unwisely agreed to let Starfire cook diner, which looked to be turning into one of Tameran's delicacies. Raven was floating in the background reading a book and was becoming increasingly annoyed by the minute. "Bouya! I'm the winner," exclaimed Cyborg as he defeated Beast Boy in a video game fight.

"Dude, I want a rematch. You cheated," complained Beast Boy indignantly.

"Sorry BB, I won fair and square," replied Cyborg, "Hey Robin, want to play. I want a challenge."

"Hey!" exclaimed Beast Boy offendedly, while Robin waved Cyborg's request off, absorbed in his work…and music.

"Friends," announced Starfire with the biggest of smiles, "please come and share in this homemade meal." Cyborg had been holding the remote control for the game system over Beast Boy's head, who was jumping up and down to get it, but the mention of food got those two's attention. Starfire had set a big bowl of black and purple goopy stuff on the table that not only looked bad, but promised to taste bad as well.

"Order pizza?" Beast Boy asked rhetorically.

"Ditto," replied Cyborg and the two went off to call a pizza place.

"Do none of my friends like my cooking?" asked Starfire to no one in particular, slightly crestfallen. Robin looked up from his work to see Starfire's sad face, so he turned off his music and went to comfort her.

"Your not a bad cook, Starfire…" said Robin slowly, carefully choosing his words, not getting any assistance from Raven who was still intent on her book and was taking advantage of the absence of pounding music and idiotic arguments. Robin continued, "They are not – accustomed to Tamaranian food's distinct taste."

"Then you will try my glurslop." Robin sweat dropped and was saved from answering by Beast Boy's and Cyborg's new and loud argument.

"Why did you order sausage and pepperoni pizza? You know I am a vegetarian," cried Beast Boy angrily.

"Because most people need meat to live!" rebutted Cyborg.

"Pepperoni and sausage! I have probably been one of those animals."

"Animal," interjected Raven in her monotone voice.

"What?" asked Beast Boy more out of surprise than clarification.

"Pepperoni and sausage come from the same animal. A pig, one animal, not animals."

Beast Boy stuttered for half a minute and then said, "I knew that."

"I'm sure," Raven replied in a sarcastically dry voice.

"Any way that's not the point."

"You don't have to eat the sausaged pizza friend," smiled Starfire, "You can have my homemade glurslop." It was Beast Boy's turn to sweat drop and come up with a quick excuse.

"You know what, I am really not hungry," then he gave a big, fake yawn, "Wow, I am really tired. I think I am going to hit the hay early."

"I find that hard to believe," muttered Raven to Beast Boy as he walked past, without even losing place in her book. Now Starfire was trying to convince Cyborg to eat some of her glurslop. Robin took this chance to retreat to his computer and turn on his music again. This made Raven snap.

"I'm not hungry either," said Raven, "I will be going to bed early myself."

As she drifted off to her room Starfire called after her, "Okay friend Raven, if you do desire food later, my glurslop will always be ready."

'Over my dead body,' Raven thought to herself. She went to her room and levitated above her bed, attempting to mediate. Ever since moving into Teen Tower with four rowdy teenagers Raven's mediating time had been harder and harder to do. But she had slowly built up immunity to the noise around her, especially in her secluded, dark room. She crossed her legs and cleared her head, ignoring all the noise coming from the living room.

When she had finally got completely relaxed she heard a big crash. The loud music still pounded on. 'Oh well,' thought Raven. 'It is probably Beast Boy breaking something …again.' She submerged herself into blissful thoughtlessness again. But it was interrupted…again.

'_Ding Dong!_' went the doorbell. '

'Pizza's here,' Raven thought grimly to herself before going back to meditating.

'_Ding Dong!'_

A vein pulsed on Raven's temple, 'Someone get the door.'

'_Ding Dong,'_ a book flew across the room and banged into the opposite wall then fell to the floor motionless.

'_Ding Dong.'_

'If the bell ring's one more –'

'_Ding Dong.' _

Raven floated out of her position and phased threw the wall of her room into the hallway and landed gracefully on the floor. She walked along the hallway to the living room and opened the door.

'_Ding Dong,' _but this time Raven did not hear it, or maybe she just did not acknowledge it because it was hidden behind an uncharacteristic gasp. Their rec room was in ruins. The stereo was dented, but will playing. Raven used her power to turn it off. The lights were dimmed; Starfire's glurslop was on the floor with shards of the broken bowl shattered around it. That might have been the crash she heard, she was surprised she had not heard more crashes. Why did she ignore it? Now the Titans, her friends, were missing, possibly worse. Why had she not come to make sure everything was alright? Why did she just blame it on Beast Boy?

'Wait! Beast Boy went to '_bed'_ early. He might still be here.' Raven held on to his sting of hope as she stumbled out of the room frantically to the door of Beast Boy's bed room. When she reached it, she stopped for a moment. She took a deep breath to calm herself.

'Relax, calm down, devoid yourself of emotion. Don't lose control…screw this.'

She banged on Beast Boy's door with the side of her fist. 'Beast Boy!" she yelled. The answer was a muffled grunt.

She banged harder, "Open the door, you worthless piece of mold!" Raven yelled, annoyance and panic laid heavily in her voice. The return was a louder, more annoyed grunt. Losing her patience, Raven used her power to rip the door out of the wall. This got Beast Boy's attention.

"Dude, haven't you ever heard of privacy?" screeched Beast Boy, now awake.

"Don't give me that crap. We have more important things going on."

"What's the matter Raven?' asked Beast Boy actually sentimentally, surprised by her anger.

"Come and see for yourself," with that she turned and floated off toward the rec room again to loom for clues. She did not hesitate to see if Beast Boy was following. Raven entered the room, eyes drifting across it, absorbing all the damage that had been done.

"Oh my gosh. What happened?" asked Beast Boy as he entered the room.

"I don't know," said Raven back to her monotone. Around now the pizza delivery man was getting irritated and apparently hit the door bell about seven times in rapid succession. The result was something like, '_Ding-ding ding-din dong ding dong din dong ding dong ding dong ding dong_…' Before Beat Boy could react, Raven phased threw the floor, to land behind the front door. She pulled her hood up and then opened the door just a crack and peered out in a steady glare.

"What do you want?" she asked sharply.

"I have your pizza delivery."

"I did not order pizza," she said and slammed the door in the young man's face.

'_Ding Dong.'_

Raven opened the door again and glared at the persistent man, "What?"

"Are you sure you didn't order pizza?'

"Yes."

"My address is Teen Titan Tower."

"Wrong address, sorry," she said as she slammed the door in his face again.

"Raven!" yelled Beast Boy running up to her from the direction of the stairwell, panting.

"What?" she asked again that night, but a little nicer, emphasis on '_little_.'

"I found something," he said holding out a piece of written on parchment that was curled at the edges from once being rolled up.

"What is it?" she asked anxiously.

"See for yourself."

-

Raven had just phased threw the floor to answer the annoying pizza man. Beast Boy was in shock at what he saw. Starfire's glurslop was splattered on the floor, Robin's stereo was seriously dented, the game system had been knocked carelessly to the floor, chair's were pushed over on the floor, all sorts of things were out of place, askew, and damaged. A passing evening breeze made the changeling shiver. The source of the breeze was from a window that now was missing its glass. Beast Boy cautiously walked over to it, avoiding debris on the floor. He hoped that when he looked out that he would not see the body of one of his comrades smashed on the rocks below. He slowly looked down and then released a relieved sigh. All there was the slow beating of the water upon the land. Even in the dark times, it was a comforting image.

Then, all of the sudden, an owl screeched. The surprise jolted Beast Boy and he fell onto the floor behind him. A barn owl flew threw the glassless pane and fluttered around the room for a moment, before dropping a rolled up piece of parchment on Beast Boy's head. He ripped it open and his eyes widened in shock. He had to show this to Raven.

He got onto his feet, and ran out of the room. He stopped at the elevator and scoffed at the 'out of order' sign on it. He turned around and darted instead to the stairwell. He was gasping for breath by the time h out to the bottom.

He slowed to a jog, "Raven," he yelled.

"What?" she asked

"I found something," Beast Boy said, holding the parchment out in front of him.

"What is it?"

"See for yourself."


	2. the dark mark

Aki- First I want to give thank you's to all who read the first chapter and a double thanks to those who reviewed. Other important notes- I have the basic plot of were this story is going, but if you have suggestions, ideas, or stuff you would like to see happen I welcome your opinions, just put them in the reviews. Also if you ever think I should up the rating just say so! You can also ask questions in the reviews, I would be glad to answer! Enjoy!

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Chapter 2 – The Dark Mark 

Raven took the parchment from Beat Boy's outstretched arm. Her eyes widened as she swiftly read it. It was a ransom note. Several emotions flashed threw her at once. Relief, her friends were alive, anger, sadness, hope, and several unidentifiable things.

"There was also this," said Beast Boy cutting into her thoughts, holding out something else. It was a black and white photograph of Robin, Starfire, and Cyborg tied up, seemingly unconscious. As she watched the picture, things seemed to move, but she guessed it was just her imagination. Most of the photo was blurry and out of focus. So she could not get any hints to were her missing friends where.

"Where did you find it?" Raven asked Beast Boy coldly.

"I was upstairs, looking out the broken window and an owl flew in and dropped it on my head," Raven had lowered her hood and her eyebrows were raised, "I am being serious!" cried Beast Boy at that look.

"Right, let's go up to the rec room and see if we can find any clues to who the captors might be."

"Okay." Raven teleported the two of them to the rec room, without much hope of finding anything. The note pounding at her mind, it had read,

'_Raven,_

_We have your friends; they are alive and well, for now. If you ever want them returned you must meet one of my counterparts at Arrow's Peak at 9:30 your time, this Friday. He will transport you to where you friends are being held and where I will place my demands. If you want the "Titans" survival, you will not tell inform any authorities. COME ALONE!' _It was only signed with three letters '_T.M.R.' _

Raven and Beast Boy proceeded to search the Titan's living room for evidence. Raven used her powers to move big masses of debris, while Beast Boy was on his hands and knees. The sky outside was steadily getting darker, and with broken lights, it was not making the search an easier. Raven was about to call it quits when something caught her attention. A piece of torn clothe was snagged on the corner of the counter. Raven pulled it off the counter corner. It was just plain black fabric that had been torn off of someone's clothes. It was not any of the Teen Titans', she knew that, but it was not enough to go on. When she began to move toward Beast Boy to ask him if he found anything, a glint of light caught her attention. It was a bird-a-rang lying on the floor, the moonlight was reflecting off it. Raven smiled grimly to herself, at least the put up a fight.

"Find anything?" Raven asked flying over to Beast Boy.

"Yes," he replied grimly and simple.

"What?"

"That," he said shortly pointing to the wall, or more like what was on the wall. Raven held back a gasp. They had been looking for such minuscule details they had failed to stand back and looked at the whole room. Scorched onto the wall was an outline of a skull with a snake coming out of its mouth.

"I think you found a clue," whispered Raven. They searched the tower until they found a Polaroid camera they could '_borrow.'_ Then they broke into Cyborg's room and scanned the photograph onto the computer and started a search for matching images.

"Estimated time of completion: five minutes," read the computer. Beast Boy was sitting crumpled on the floor, the late night and lose of his friends taking its toll on him. Raven turned in her levitated position in front of Cyborg's computer.

"I would have been taken too," said Beast Boy in a whisper.

"What was that?" asked Raven in a soothing voice.

Beast Boy looked up at her, "If I had not gone to my room, I would have been taken too. They want you."

"I know."

"But why?"

"That is not important right now. What is important is that we have to save our friends. 'Why' is not important, but where and who," said Raven in an attempted encouraging voice.

"Right," replied Beast Boy, still wasted and upset.

"I'm the only one allowed to be depressed and grumpy around here," scolded Raven, "They don't need two of use trust me," she continued in an uncharacteristic joking manner. Beast Boy chuckled at this and his spirit seemed lighter. "Anyway we need to keep our spirits up to have any…" she was cut off by the beeping of the computer.

"Scan complete- matches five." Raven turned back to the computer. The first three '_matches' _were through-a-ways that did not really match, the fourth was an ad. She clicked on the last match. The image that popped up would have scared Raven if she had not seen it before. It was the exact picture that was scorched on the wall. In the picture, the symbol was wispy, smoke-like, and green against black. According the caption it was taken in the night sky above a campsite. The short report that accompanied the picture said that this symbol had been sighted several times throughout Britain. Raven scanned the list of dates. There was no pattern. Most the dates were fairly recent; except the first one where the picture had come from. But at least they had a lead, Great Britain, it was not much of a lead, but it was something.

"ZZZzzzzZZZzzzz," Raven turned toward the noise to see that Beast Boy had fallen asleep where he sat. Raven restrained an amused smile. First he was depressed, now he is sleeping. Raven used her powers to move him out Cyborg's room and into his own. She set him down on his bed where he curled into a more comfortable position. She left his room and fixed his door. He needed sleep. _She _needed sleep, but she could not sleep now. It was her fault that Starfire, Robin, and Cyborg were missing. If she had reacted to the crash…thanks to her they were in danger. Maybe she would not have been able to save them, but somehow she attracted the attention of a madman, this '_T.M.R.'_

Raven went back to Cyborg's computer and looked again at the little information she had found. The dates were definitely random and so were the places, seemingly. There had to be something more, their just had to…

Raven gave a long yawn. She had been searching for another hour and rereading the information hoping that she had skipped something or that something would finally click. Nothing. She was sure that if it were Cyborg or Robin looking that they would have found more, but she, well, she was no computer genius. She was lucky not to break it by just turning it on. Raven yawn again. She really did need some sleep. She glided to her room and collapsed on her bed. She would find more tomorrow…

linelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelinelineline

Beast Boy shivered in his bed. Early morning light was filtering threw an opening the curtains covering the windows. He kept his eyes closed as he reached blindly around for a blanket. He found one and pulled over himself and curled into a ball for warmth on the cool autumn morning. Memories started too filtered into his head of the night before. His stomach rumbled. Why was he so hungry? Did he not eat diner last night? Oh yeah, glurslop… and pepperoni pizza…

Things in Beast Boy's mind started to work faster, things started to connect. 'Went to bed early…Raven banging on door…the titans missing…the living room in ruins…, but how did get into his bed,' then Beast Boy came up with one of this rather amusing solutions. The whole kidnapping part was a nightmare brought on by lack on food. Beast Boy slide off his bead and left his room, proving his theory because his door was in his wall. He walked quietly threw the hallway to the rec room. He was rubbing his eyes with a fist as the door slide open. Okay, maybe it was not a nightmare!

Now fully awake he trotted to Raven's room and knocked tentively on the door. He heard a muffled answer. He knocked again.

"What?" came a cleared, more irritated answer from someone whose sleep was just interrupted.

"It's Beast Boy."

"I didn't ask who."

"I just thought that we should get an early start," now things began coming together in Rave's disheveled mind.

"Right," she replied in a serious tone and started getting ready for the day ahead. She grabbed a clock and clasped it on and ran her fingers threw her scruffy hair making it lie straight. She opened the door to see an impatient Beast Boy leaning on the wall opposite her room.

"What should we do first?" asked Beast Boy unsure of himself.

Raven thought for a second, "We should get breakfast, neither of us had diner and had a late night. We need to be able to function properly."

"Good idea." Beast Boy could never resist the temptation of food, as long as it was vegetarian. They both started to walk to the rec room were the kitchen was.

"And while you make it. I will catch you up," she said slightly jesting.

"Hey," he said, catching on.

Beast Boy made non-dairy waffles. As he was mixing the batter, Raven was sitting on a stool at the counter explaining what she found.

"England…gees, more crazy British people," was Beast Boy's response as he reminisced about Mad Mod.

"Yes, but it is unlikely that they have gone back their. Not enough time too. Good thing too, we would never be able to get there and find them before Friday, that's tomorrow."

"Did you try to track their locators?"

"Yes," Raven answered shortly. How stupid did he think she was?

"Well…"

"I could not find them. Neither the kidnappers destroyed them or are too far away for our trackers to find."

"Tomorrow…" whispered Beast Boy.

"Yes," Raven agreed, "Tomorrow. What we need is a plan."

"Yeah," Beast Boy agreed then added under his breath, "One hell of a plan."


	3. friday night

Aki: You like me! You really like me!...Okay I hope you like this story. Several important things happened this week: Tuesday was my birthday, I got my hair cut, and I have a dance competition tomorrow. I am so nervous, wish me luck. Oh yeah Please Review.

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Friday Night 

Chapter 3

It was Friday night, nine o'clock. A teenage girl was walked alone in the waste lands right outside Jump City. As a cool breeze blew the cloak surrounding her, she pulled it tighter for warmth. A hood disguised her face. A crescent moon, stars, and the light leaking from the nearby city were the only thing showing her path. She was like a shadow. This is how it would have appeared to an onlooker.

An owl hooted and swooped above Raven's head. Her eye's followed it until it landed on a rocky ledge nearby. The bird was green, Raven smiled to herself, at least she was not alone. The girl walked over to the ledge.

"What are you doing here," she whispered.

Beast Boy changed back into a human, "The question is, 'why are you?'"

"It is Friday. The night of the ransom," she said stating the obvious that Beast Boy knew.

"That is not what I meant," he replied bitterly.

"I know," she rebuked sarcastically.

"You said you were not going to come here. You said we would find another way."

"I lied."

"You are a good liar," said Beast Boy, pausing for a moment, "Or at least I believed you," he finished.

"Which doesn't say much, does it?" she replied coldly, poking fun at his gullibility.

"Anyway," continued Beast Boy, brushing the jest aside which was unusual for him, "you said you weren't gona' come."

"How did you find me out?"

"You weren't in your room."

"You went in my room?" she asked threw clenched teeth.

"Only _after_ I knocked a million times!" he defended.

"Okay," she said still angry, "back to my first question. What are you doing here?"

"Finding you, duh!" he said in a whimsical manner. Raven raised an eyebrow under her hood and though Beast Boy could not see it, he felt its meaning. He continued in a more sober tone, "Did you seriously think I was going to let you go alone. I am not about to let another one of my friends get captured by some weirdo." Raven held back a smile, it was times like these that you realized how brave and caring Beat Boy really was.

"I do not know," said Raven unsure, "I do not want you in danger."

"Raven, we are the Teen Titans. We are in danger almost every day and remember, I can turn into a fly," said Beast Boy demonstrating it as well.

"Okay, you can come, but stay a fly. I do not want them catching you too," said Raven in uncharacteristic worry. Beast Boy in fly version landed on her shoulder as she continued her journey toward Arrow's Point wondering how much time she had spent talking with Beast Boy.

The waste lands were right outside Jump City. They were rocky and barren, and absent of all human habitation for miles. It was the perfect place for a kidnapper or criminal to strike. The green fly buzzed a little in Raven's shoulder, she understood why. This was the place was where the Teen Titans had first meet Terra. The loss of his crush must still be playing hard on Beast Boy's mind. He acted normal, happy, and giddy on the outside, but losing someone important to him… Well he will never be the same again. Terra was a little piece of his heart and soul, and when she was lost, that piece of heart and soul was lost also.

Raven was now approaching the base of Arrow's Peak with little time to spare. Arrow's Peak was a big rock that jutted out of the ground going up to a sharp point. It was narrow, steep, and could be walked around rather quickly. The only thing really remarkable about it was that it was very tall, and stood higher then pretty much every this else in the waste land. The mysterious girl narrowed her eyes as she saw a subtle movement. She took a few more steps closer and this time did see something. A man, she guessed from his height and vague body shape that was hidden beneath a ground length black cloak. His hood was drawn low over his face, hiding it from view. Raven assumed that this was _T.M.R._'s counterpart he had referred to in his letter. Who else would be dressed in all black in the waste lands in the middle of the night? Yeah, that is what I thought.

Raven took a hesitant step forward from her paused position. This was a lot scarier than she expected. That hesitant step was the last one she took unnoticed, for she disturbed a couple pebbles and caught the cloaked man's attention. He stood up straight from his leaning position and looked around. Raven stood still like a deer in a headlight. The man pulled a stick from the folds of his cloak and muttered under his breath, a light appeared at one end of it.

linelineline

Lucuis Malfoy, donned in his Death Eater's garb, stood leaning against the cold, rocky pillar of Arrow's Point. He hated being delegated to what he regarded as a meager task. He was a proud man and did not find any greatness to capturing muggle children, an American at that! A few nights ago he led a few other Death Eaters to the capture of four of the Teen Titans. Swiftly and silently, while the one girl, Raven, was her name, was out of the way. They only got three. The Dark Lord was not happy about that. Somehow they underestimated the muggle children who had really put up a fight, that they did not realize that they had not captured the green boy too.

In his own mind, Lucius believed that the plan was very dubious. No real rhyme or reason, though he dare not question his Master's wishes but only in his head, far, far away. He understood that the needed the other _Teen Titans _as incentive to get the girl to do what the Dark Lord wanted her to do. But why not kidnap her with the others? Would not that be that be easier? Apparently not.

He understood that now. Those muggles were more powerful than he thought. He could only imagine how strong the resistance would have been with the other two fighting and, as much as he hated to admit it, he was not sure he and his team would have necessarily won. Lucius was driven out of his thoughts by the clattered of stones. He suddenly stood upright, cursing himself for his unawareness and looked for the source of the noise.

'Damn the dark!' he thought to himself before groping in his cloak for his wand. He pulled it out and muttered, "Lumos." He lifted his wand in front of himself for the maximum light ring, and spotted the source right away. The figure recoiled slightly at the light. Her face was hidden by the shade of her navy hood that connected to a long cloak, pinned in the front by a broach. It was a girl, _the_ girl.

"Going to stand their all night?" he asked in a sneer, upset with himself for letting a simple muggle sneak up on him.

"Maybe," she answered without a pause in a sarcastic monotone that shocked even the great and pompous Lucius Malfoy.

linelineline

"Going to stand their all night?" asked a pretentious, British voice.

'Britain was a right lead,' Raven thought and then answered, "Maybe." She hid all her fear and nervousness behind a façade of fearlessness and coolness, which, as iterated before, were the exact opposite of her true feelings. Raven saw that the man was taken back by the swift remark.

"Fearless are we?" he asked in an arrogant speech.

"Maybe," she said again. Could he not hear her heart beating wildly? Could he not see the drop of sweat rolling down the side of her face? Did he not know she was all alone….The fly Beast Boy buzzed reassuringly on her shoulder, okay maybe not so alone.

"Well I love to stay and chat, but we have business to attend too. But I may say this conversation has been absolutely stimulating," intervened Lucius after another empty silence, laying on the sarcasm pretty thick. Raven said nothing.

He pulled a large stone from a pocket in his cloak. Raven cocked an eyebrow under her hood. As far as she could tell there was nothing special about the stone. It was rough and dull, brownish-gray in color. One could find millions in the waste land, yet he held it like it was very important. Beast Boy decided to take a closer look and began to fly over to it.

"Come on," commanded to the cloaked man, all hint of sarcasm replaced with haughty command. Raven walked over to him as he held out the stone for her to touch. Now several things happened simultaneously. A split second before Raven's fingers made contact to the stone Beast Boy in fly form landed on it. And a split second after Raven's fingertips connected with the stone there was an unexpected pull, like a hook in her navel. She gasped despite herself.

Colors, sounds, and images were blurred around her as she, the mysterious cloaked man, and Beast Boy the fly were being pulled threw the air at an amazingly fast rate. Raven started to ponder over things she had not thought about before.

'Who are these people? _What_ are these people? What was with the glowing stick…wand maybe? Technology can definitely not do this, so was it magic? But she had not heard of any spells that could do this.' Raven shivered at the possibly of magic. That meant these people matched her ability, that she did not have the upper hand. Not that she had the upper hand in the first place. Think about it, they had more cards than she had. They have three of her friends, hidden identities, hidden location, hidden everything. She had herself and her powers, and Beast Boy and his powers, and, if her theory proved true, she had just lost one…

All of the sudden Raven hit a hard wooden floor and had the wind knocked out of her, she groaned. Miraculously the cloaked man someone did not fall and was now stalking to the door of what seemed to be an old, dusty bedroom.

"Stay," he commanded over his shoulder before he shut the door behind himself.

"What am I a dog," she said to no one in particular after he left.

linelineline

Lucius Malfoy smiled at the success of his mission. Sure it was not that hard, but come on he did a pretty good job of it, don't you say. He walked to the door of the Dark Lord's chamber and gave a message to the attendant at the door in a hushed voice. The attendant entered the room and said these three words…

"Master, she's here," ad then took exit.

A thin smile played against his snaky face, his red eyes had a slight twinkle in them. His plan was going well, almost too well, "Excellent."


	4. waiting is half the battle

AKI: Hello wonderful readers. I keep forgetting to tell you this, I am going to try to update this story weekly. That means sometime on Friday, Saterday, or Sunday. I hope I can keepp that promise, so review with your comments, questions, and ideas, they are all welcome!

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**Waiting is Half the Battle**

**Chapter 4**

Raven stood up and started to examine the room she was in. It was old, with wooded walls and looked like it had not been occupied for a long time via the dust carpeting the floor and the cobwebs that hung in the corners. There was a threadbare rug in front of a dirty window and a grand, yet worn canopy bed was pushed into the corner of the room.

Beast Boy morphed back into human form and putting a hand to his ditsy head stated, "Whoa, what a ride." Almost collapsing along the way, Beast Boy went and sat on the canopy bed. Once he got his bearings and realized what was happening he asked, "Where are we?"

Raven sighed and walked over to the grimy window. She looked out it without seeing anything then said, "I don't know."

"Soooo…" he said tapping his foot lightly, "What are we going to do?"

"I don't know!"

"What do you mean, you don't know. Didn't you have a plan before you decided to let yourself be abducted here!"

"What about you? Didn't you make a plan?" she said voice rose, entering an argument.

"I was coming after you," Beast Boy exclaimed, voice raised also, "I thought you had a plan going off all by yourself! Weren't you thinking!"

"No, as the matter the fact, I wasn't. I was too worried about Robin and Starfire and Cyborg to think strategically. I can't believe I let you talk yourself into coming, You probably don't even know the meaning of the word strategically, let only think it."

"That is it Raven. You are always insulting me, but I am a valuable..." Beast Boy was cut off by a loud bang somewhere near, yet far off. They both went pale realizing they had been yelling at each other, so anyone could hear.

Raven, back to her calm, cool self, broke the silence, "This is no time to be fighting."

"Your right," Beast Boy agreed, "We have bigger fish to fry…not that _I _fry fish, but not is not the point, because that is just …an…expression…" the changeling wavered off his babbling at Raven's cold stare.

Raven sat down on the bed next to him, "We do not know when the kidnappers are going to make their demands of me, so we have to be ready, but I have a feeling that they are going to leave us hanging for a while."

"Right," said Beast Boy.

"So," said Raven prompting her thoughts, "We need to be prepared for when they come back." Raven paused like she was expecting to hear Beast Boy's quick thought ideas. When none came, she stated her own, "One we need to locate Robin, Starfire, and Cyborg. Two, we need to know what this T.M.R. wants. When I meet him, you should follow disguised, so you know what is happening, then try to rescue the others. But we need to sleep now, we will need are strength soon. We also need to have a take turns awake so _they _do not sneak up on us…more like you.

"Why just me?" he asked indigently.

"Because they don't know you're here." She answered coldly.

He turned into a more serious tone, "Raven, remember that time when Robin was seeing Slade and no one else could."

"Yes," she answered getting the jist of where this question was going.

"And when Robin locked down the tower, you kind of went inside his mind to find out what he was seeing and thinking."

"Yes, I remember and yes, I tried to locate them that way already."

"And…?"

"They're alive, or at least Robin is. He was easier to contact to because I had already been in his mind before…it was more open, you could say, but …"

"But what?"

"It was unusually blank, even for an unconscious person. There are usually many dreams, goals, and ideas floating around behind the conscious thoughts, but they were dormant."

"Are you sure they're not…"

Raven interrupted him before he could voice her worst fear, "Yes, I am sure! I can not access the minds of the dead."

"Oh…," was all Beast Boy could add to the morbid thought.

"Go to sleep, I will take the first watch."

"Are you sure?" he said, trying to be chivalrous, but already yawning.

"Yes. Go to…"

"ZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…" Raven smiled at the already asleep Beast Boy. She levitated above the floor at the foot of the bed, legs crossed, eyes closed, yet awake and vigilant.

"Azarath Metron Zinthos," she whispered to herself then repeated, "Azarath Metron Zinthos, Azarath Metron Zinthos." As she chanted a chair against the wall started to rise of the ground. "Azarath Metron Zinthos, Azarath Metron Zinthos," Her head began to nod onto her chest from fatigue, yet she still muttered the incantation under her breath. Slowly, but surely she nulled herself into a sleeping trance, all the while the wooden, hardback chair floated inches above the floor.

It was barley five minutes Raven awoke with a start when she realized she had fallen asleep. With her awakening the chair dropped with a dull bang to the floor. The sleeping Beast Boy made a grunt in his snores. Raven glared at him for his peaceful rest, while she was awake before she remembered she told him to go to sleep in the first place.

Then she thought to herself, "This is going to be a _long_ night…"

**­linelinelinelinelinelineline**

Beast Boy had a rather pleasant night of sleep. The worries of the days previous were lost in deep sleep and sweet dreams involving mopeds and girls. He would have loved to companied this peaceful rest with a restful morning, were he slowly awoke himself late in the morning by the sounds of chirping birds, the sunlight coming threw a crack in his curtains, and the scents of tofu meat being cooked by someone else for his breakfast. I am sorry to say he had no such luck.

He was awoken by being shook roughly by hands grasping his shoulders, and an urgent whisper calling his name, "Beast Boy, Beast Boy!" As he slowly opens his eyelids a slit, he sees a teenaged, gray skin girl peering down at him. If he had been fully awake he would have known it was Raven and were he was, but as he was not, he was slightly disturbed to find himself in an unfamiliar place, with a girl that was now glaring at him, and in a bed that was definitely not his own. When he finally registered in his brain, he shot straight up in bed and let out one of his girly screams before Raven slapped her hand over his mouth.

"What are you trying to do? Get yourself caught?" she asked him after she took her had off his mouth and was wiping it on a section of her cloak

"Raven? Is that you?" he replied, remembering where he was, while letting his eyes accustom to the surrounding dark. The sun had not yet risen above the horizon in the east.

"Who else do think it is?" she wondered out loud sarcastically.

Beast Boy ignored the question and asked his own, "What time is it?"

"About five thirty."

"In the morning?"

"No, at night."

"I thought we were going to take turns at for a night watch."

"I lied."

"Why, exactly?"

"I knew you would fall asleep." Beast Boy could not deny this so he just grumbled to himself, under his breath. The now rising sun's rays began to find it way threw the grimy window's glass and illuminate the room. This did not make their situation seem any better, for now, the two inhabitance of the room, could clearly see the thick layer of dust on the floor and the muse nest in the far corner.

"So..," began Beast Boy, breaking the silence, "What do we do now?"

Raven looked him in the eye and in all seriousness said, "We wait."

**linelinelinelinelineline**

Meanwhile The Lord Voldemort, also know as T. M. R., Was gloating to himself because of the success of the first stage of his plan-capturing Raven. He paced the floor of his study. Well, technically it was not _his _study, but that mattered little to a man bent on revenge and controlling the world. That old fool, Dumbledore, would never see it coming. This plan was so different from anything anyone would expect and only his _most_ trusted Death Eaters knew the basic plan.

A faint smile traced his lips as he thought of the havoc he would soon cause. The wizarding world was practically at his fingertips. The Ministry of Magic was in ruin since they discovered his return. Yes, there were repercussions to that incident and yes, he and his Death Eaters lay low for a while, until they broke the newly convicted Death Eaters out of prison. But now that they were out in the open, killings were happening spontaneously and frequently, yet those were just a diversion to his true plan.

Only three things stood in his way to victory: Hogwarts, Dumbledore, and Harry Potter. There would be a time for that filthy, half-blood Potter, but now his sits were set on Hogwarts and Dumbledore. Those two were connected, Hogwarts would not fall as long as Dumbledore as around, but the good thing was Dumbledore was getting weaker and older. Of course he was still strong, but not as strong as he used to be. Voldemort recalled their duel in the Ministry of Magic the summer before. In the past Dumbledore would not have needed his bird to save him….

There was a knock on the door.

"Enter," replied the Dark Lord's steely voice as he stopped pacing and faced the door.

In stepped Lucius Malfoy, who bowed low before standing up straight as saying, "You wished to see me, Master?"

"Yes," he replied shortly while his thoughts were elsewhere, already goading Dumbledore's fall. "I think it is time I gave our _guest_ a proper welcome," he said with only the hint of a smirk.

"Lucius Malfoy bowed again before exiting, "Of course, Master."


	5. the meeting

**Aki-**This chapter is much more intersting then the last. I hope you all like it. PLease Review and Happy Easter!

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**The Meeting**

**Chapter 5**

The minutes slowly passed in the dreary bedroom. Raven took the time to mediate some more, because she never knew when she would have her next chance. Beast Boy had fallen into an uncharacteristic silence while sitting cross legged on the old bed. His shoulders were hunched and his ears were drooped. At first glance he would have looked depressed with the current situation, but with closer examination one would see he had fallen asleep. Somewhere in the ancient house a clock chimed a few minutes off the hour. It was seven.

Raven opened her eyes from her mediating and strained her ears; for she was positive she heard a sound intermingling with the sound of the clock's chimes. She closed her eyes again and listened closely as the mysterious sound got closer. The chimes finished and Raven could clearly hear the sound…muffled rhythmic beats and squeaky floor boards, otherwise known as footsteps. Raven landed from her levitated sitting to a standing position, firmly on the ground. She raced over to Beast Boy and shook his shoulders

"Beast Boy, wake up!" she said in an urgent whisper. He opened his eyes reluctantly.

"Déjà vu," he muttered groggily.

"Change into something…quick!" she harshly whispered back. The footsteps had suddenly stopped, presumably on the other side of the door. Beast Boy, whose brain was not working properly because of the sudden awakening, changed into a monkey.

"Something else!" a frustrated Raven growled back under her breath.

Beast Boy morphed back into his human form, shrugged and asked, "What else?" The door was opening, so Raven did the first thing that occurred to her. She pushed Beast Boy with both hands across the bed into the small gap between the bed itself and the wall. Now he was successful hidden from the view of whoever came threw the door. In the last second, she pulled her hood up.

Raven collected her emotions and put on the usual I-don't-care façade. She sat on the edge of the bed with her with her arms crossed as well as one leg over the other, in a rather comfortable and relaxed position.

The man who stood in the doorway sneered and said, "Looks like you made yourself at home." Raven recognized the voice; it was the same man from the night before. He was still wearing a black clock, but his hood was down and he wore no mask. Raven noted his appearance if it ever became important in the future. He had long, blond, almost white, hair, a slightly pointy looking face, pale skin…No that was a wrong description. Raven decided in her head. She had _pale_ skin; he just had a light complexion.

Lucius Malfoy advanced into the room, "It is time you meet the mastermind of your current predicament."

Raven stood up and moved towards the door. Lucius Malfoy took a grip of her forearm as to lead her. Raven pierced him with a cold glare and he let go, subconsciously intimidated by this girl or maybe from the shook of her skin being so cold.

**linelinelineline**

Beast Boy was confused and disheveled as Raven pushed him into the tiny crevasse between the wall and the bed. He was about to complain loudly when he heard a cold voice saying, "It is time you meet the mastermind of your current predicament."

Beast Boy's brain finally clicked as he remembered the urgency of the current problem. Beast Boy swiftly turned into a fly and flew after Raven the blond man, just making it threw before the door slammed shut behind them. Beast Boy tried to follow closely as not to loose the two or get locked out of a room, but not too closely as to be noticed or suspicious. Raven walked about half a paced behind the blond man. She seemed nervous noticed Beat Boy. Of course who would not be nervous in a situation like this?

The strange group comprising of two Teen Titans, one of which was a fly, and a Death Eater were swiftly approaching the end of the hallway, where their was an ominous door. The group stopped before it. Beast Boy fluttered above the two others in waiting. Raven glanced up at him when she heard his buzz. The man, Lucius Malfoy, knocked twice on the door and a scary, yet smooth voice said, "Enter."

**Linelinelinelineline**

"Enter." It was said were quietly, like the person on the other side did not care, or was too important to call loud. Raven was sure she would not have heard the one word calling if the silence had not been deafening and she had not been straining for every sound.

The door opened, seemingly by itself, and the three people who were waiting walked in, well actually two of them walked in, the third flew in…but that is not a point. The man who had called enter was facing the opposite wall. He was tall and thin and as Raven could tell from the back of his head, bald and pale skinned.

"Lucius, leave us." The man called Lucius bowed and excited the room, again the door slamming shut. Raven naturally tensed, but took comfort from the buzz of a fly behind her. The tall, mysterious man she had been left in the room turned around. Raven was shocked when she caught a glimpse of his face. It was, frankly, snake-like. His thin, red eyes pierced her like a dagger.

"Hello Raven," he said with the hint of an evil grin of his face. Raven's breath was caught in her chest. She had nothing to say. Honestly, he was just creepy. "Cat got your tongue?" he asked then chuckled lightly at his rather bad joke. Raven glared at him from underneath her hood.

"Now," started the man again, approaching her, "This is not necessary. _Is_ it?" he said before pulling down her hood, to show an irritated Raven.

"Are you T. M. R.," she asked bluntly.

The man we know as Voldemort chuckled lightly again, but in a more menacing way, "Oh, yes that is me," he answered before walking away from her, hands behind his back. "Or more like…" he added disdainfully, "…someone I used to be…" he trailed off, and then turned back around to face the teenager again. "But that really is not that important, but what is important is _you_."

"Why?" she asked.

"Well," he started with a small sneer and started pacing, "you have some …" he stopped as though struggling for a word, but it seemed as though he had practiced it, "some talents." Raven's eyes narrowed at this, trying to connect everything. Voldemort cut into her thoughts by continuing his tangent, "Some powerful talents. I thought we might some to an understanding…"

Now Raven interrupted him, which I assure you, did not happen to him often, "Threw kidnapping?"

Voldemort faced her, flexing his fingers behind his back to control his rage, "Now, now," he said in a sarcastic tone, "It is rude to interrupt people."

"It is rude to kidnap people too," Raven replied smoothly in an even more sarcastic voice, "In fact, it's a crime." Voldemort tried to hold back his rage, no one in his entire life had spoken to him like this before, especially not a teenager. Of course everyone else had a threat of torture and/or death if the spoke to him like that, and they were expendable…so it all made sense.

"Indeed, it is." was all he could think to answer to this unpredicted behavior. "But," he finally continued, "I get what I need whether the means to getting it is in or outside the law. And most the time, things that are outside the law are more fun than those within the law."

"I think that is a matter of opinion." Another awkward silence lingered. Raven took this opportunity to organize things in her mind. "So," she began breaking the silence, "You kidnapped my friends, so you could get me to do you dirty work because you were not good enough to accomplish it yourself."

"You know," said Voldemort in a menacing growl, "Most people would find it unwise to speak like that to the one has the upper hand in a situation like thus, with such insolence and disrespect, let alone someone like me. You have no idea what power I posses. It is but a mere technicality that you are needed."

"You just said it. You need me. You wouldn't _dare_ do anything to me…at least not until you get me to do what you want."

"That is true, but I don't need your friends now do I?" he asked. Raven's eyes widen as she forgotten to calculate her captive friends into her rudeness. Silence broke out once again.

Voldemort spoke, now with his superiority again, "As long as you mind your manners from now on and do what I want you to do, I will return your _friends_ to you unscathed."

"Forgive me if I don't trust you."

"Forgive me if the feelings mutual." Raven raised her eyebrows in question to that statement, and Lord Voldemort caught the mannerism. "I know you wouldn't be here if you did not have a plan or a secret weapon or something of the like. I have watched you and your little group of heroes for a long time now. I know how you fight notorious criminals and villains. How you strategize and work together. I know all your different powers, strengths, and even weaknesses. I did not do this on a whim. I know how to make a good plan too. I know you did not just come here submissively. I also know that there is another Teen Titan that my…," he struggled for a word again, though this time for real, "team did not capture. I was much displeased about this." Raven did not dare spare a glance to Beats Boy's fly form in the corner who was trying to act discreet.

"Now, back to business," continued the Dark Lord, "I will return you and your friends safely if you do what I ask of you."

"Well, it doesn't matter if they're already dead," she said in monotone.

"You're absolutely right. Do you wish to see them?"

"Much." She replied rather coldly.

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Voldemort has good reason's for needing Raven than he is letting on or going to tell. And again, please review! They make me happy!


	6. captive friends

Note to **Dea Luna**- To answer one question, my favorite goodies would probably be sunflower seeds, Milano cookies, and Reese's peanut butter cups. And to our other question, no, this is not a BBxRae fic, even though that is my favorite pairing. It is kind of hinted, but will not be developed into anything more than a close friendship. So you as the reader have the license to interpret it anyway you want to!

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**Captive Friends**

**Chapter 6**

Raven followed Voldemort down the hallway glad to be out of his line of sight. She took the time to glance sideways at the green fly buzzing along beside her. This little detour was for Beast Boy, so he could complete his part of the plan…to get Robin, Starfire, and Cyborg out. It was elementary kidnapping strategy that they were up against. The kidnappers never intend to release the captives. Once they acquire the ransom, they kill their captives and whoever delivered the ransom, especially if was someone like Raven, who knew who the captors was, or at least what he looked like.

Raven was actually doing this for herself also. She needed to see that her friends were still alive and well. She could not believe it until she saw it herself. She needed the reassurance. She needed the hope. It was all part of her master plan, the plan that she did not even tell Beast Boy about because she knew he would never go threw with it. Again it went back to kidnapping strategy. Beast Boy's job was to get their captured friend out, to get them to safety. Her job was to distract this madman until Beast Boy could accomplish his goal. She had to do what T. M. R. wanted to secure Robin, Starfire and Cyborg's safety. When Beast Boy inquired how Raven would escape, she vaguely, yet assuringly answered that she would escape herself after the others were safe. If she had an opportunity she would try to escape, but she might not get that chance. Truthfully, Raven was willing to die for the other Teen Titans; they were the only friends she really had.

They might not know it; they probably do not, that she cared for them so much…she loved them. Not romantically, but they were closer than brothers, at risk of sounding cliché. To them she might seem distant and closed, but they were actually very close to her, closer than anyone had ever been before. To Raven they were more than a team, more than a group of friends, they were family, and they were all Raven had. She did not want to die, she feared it, death, the unknown, but she would give anything to protect her beloved family.

Voldemort stopped at a door in the same hallway as the one where the one Raven was held captive the night before. He took out a stick or wand or whatever and muttered some intelligible words under his breath and tapped the doorknob with the piece of wood. The sound of a lock clicked and he opened in the door and held it open for Raven. She stood hesitant in the threshold. Half out of relief and shock and half to make sure that Beat Boy entered the room securely. There her three missing friends were tied up, unconscious and disheveled, propped up against the side of a bed.

Poor, gullible Beast Boy. He would not realize what Raven was sacrificing until it was too late. He was gullible in his foolish and childish ways, but also because he was so trusting, just like Starfire who was naive. Not in a stupid way, but in innocent way, innocent to the horrors of mankind until recently; she was a symbol of happiness, innocence, and purity. Then there was overly determined Robin who was always obsessed with beating the bad guys and fixing everything, which is utterly impossible. Then there was Cyborg, who was playful and joking one minute, but could be serious and brave the next, strong yet limited in his power. Traits that used to annoy her about her friends were now very precious to her. Raven was resigned to what she was risking and giving up, prepared to accept the almost certain immanent doom she was bringing down upon herself. Her only regret in life was that she was unable to show or express how much she cared and loved her friends…her family.  
A familiar buzz in her ear brought Raven back to the now. She stumbled swiftly you to the bedside and kneeled between Robin and Starfire. The warmth of their flesh and the sound of their quiet and relaxed breathing comforted her. They seemed to be in some sort of blissful sleep, yet it was calmer than sleep.

_'They were probably drugged,' _thought Raven to herself, wondering how long it had been sense her friends had eaten.

"See, they're alive and well," said a smooth voice behind her. Raven did not need to turn around to see, she could just imagine the kidnapper in a relaxed, yet powerful and in charge stance, standing in the doorway with a cold smirk on his face and an evil glint in his unnatural red eyes.

Raven signed silently to herself and then stood and backed away from her unconscious friends reluctantly.

"Well," continued steely voice of the villain, "It is time to get to work." Raven turned around and followed the man as she was summoned, but before the door shut behind her she looked back to get a last glance of here captive friends and a green fly.

**Linelinelinelineline**

Voldemort herded the girl away from the room were her friends were held captive. Lord Voldemort had no friends, not because he was antisocial or had a bad personality, but because he did not hold for such things. Friends and anyone you cared for could be used against you, like he was using Raven's friends against her now. The Dark Lord placed no emotional attachment on anyone or anything, except hate.

Voldemort courted Raven into his study, the room were the meet. He summoned her a wooden chair which she grudgingly sat down on, as the Dark Lord sat on his own throne-like chair. A silence lingered about the room as Voldemort observed Raven pondering if she was going to make the first move and she did…

"Well," she began, "I suppose you kidnapped my friends and forced me here for some other reason to just sit here?"

Voldemort was amused by her blunt sarcasm. It was _almost_ refreshing from his daily lackeys squawking at his every order and flinching at every rebuke as though it was their death, of course it might have been…it was situational. Truthfully, Raven partially reminded Voldemort of himself as a teenager, those many years ago.

"Your right," Voldemort said with a wicked grin, "I brought you here for a purpose. I guess I will have to explain a few things first…" he trailed off expertly gaining Raven's attention, who sat up straighter on the edge of her chair alertly. "I know," he continued, "of your powers, your magic per say. As I've said before, I've been watching you and I know what you can do, but there is another kind of magic, a magic I and about a fourth of the population at least know about." Voldemort paused waiting for a reaction from Raven, but she remained impassive, surprisingly, but not unexpected.

A silence filled the room again, and Raven broke it again, "Why didn't you just kidnap me?"

"Because, Raven, I needed to give you some initiative to do what I wanted."

"Why didn't you just kidnap me along with my friends, you would have your _initiative_ and me a lot faster and easier." Raven would have rolled her eyes with the word initiative if she did such things.

"I know how well you _Teen Titans_ work together, and knew it would be easier to …capture," he added with a light smirk, "you friends and you separately." Raven thought this was a pretty lame reason, flattering yes, the truth, probably not.

"But," she began, brow furrowed, "You did not capture us separately," she was saying this more to sort out the thoughts, than to catch this strange man in a lie. She stared at the floor thinking, "Your team attacked a group of three, but you intended it to be four. You said earlier that it was an accident you did not capture Beast Boy as well." Voldemort's smirk was gone and he was irritated by the youth's logical thinking. Raven continued in a whisper that was only heard by herself. You just needed me by myself…but why?" Raven looked up and was slightly surprised by the anger behind the Dark Lord's eyes.

**Linelinelineline**

Beast Boy waited until Raven and the snake-face man left the room and their footsteps faded. When they were no longer hearable, he transformed into his human form. He rushed to his friends sides and began trying to untie them, starting with Robin. He pulled at the bonds, but they were tight and seemed to have no end, they were continues, like circles. Eventually he stole, I mean borrowed, a bird-a-rang that had been left of Robin's utility belt and used the sharp end to cut threw their ropes.

Soon the captives were free…from the rope. He Beast Boy pulled the cut rope away from his friends' bodies and tossed them haphazardly across the room. Then he turned his attention on trying to wake them up. It was hard, especially since because he had to be quiet about it and Beast Boy found it hard to be quiet on a good day, let alone when he was in a dire situation of a sneaky rescue. Beast Boy sighed.

"Guys!" he called quietly to them, trying to wake them. He decided to try one at a time and move to the right of Robin. Beast Boy poked Robin in the shoulder and called, "Hey Robin, time to get up." Nothing. He tried it again and again with the same result. Beast Boy sighed again then a clever thought popped into his head.

Beast Boy leaned down next to Robin's ear once more and said in an urgent whisper, "Hey, Robin, it's Slade." All to be heard was the chirping of crickets. Beast Boy stood up frustrated, scratching the back of his head.

Little did he know that he was wasting his time on Robin, though he would have been more productive with either Starfire or Cyborg, but they were all still out cold. Not with drugs like Raven thought, but by a stunning spell, via a very strong stunning spell. Although this spell, or any, had never been tested on a Tamaranian or a half-robot…poor Robin…

**Linelinelineline **

Hope you liked it! Comments? Questions? Complaints? Constructive criticism? Praise? Suggestions or Ideas? Then please Review.


	7. few and far between

First I would like to thank all my reviewers from all my previous chapters. I appreciate you taking your time to review and encourage me. I would especially like to thank **Sigma 1** for her very informative and helpful review.

**Chapter 7**

**Few and Far Between**

Before Raven knew what was happening she was back into the room she was imprisoned in the previous night, it was now around midday. Light leaked threw the single, east facing window. Raven paced in order to keep her mind off the dull feeling of hunger in her gut and the threatening headache from lack of proper sleep. She chewed on her thumbnail, an unconscious and irregular nervous habit she had seemed to develop.

As she paced evenly, her mind raced, going over what she had recently deduced from the careless words that slipped her and her friends kidnapper. She tried to come to a conclusion of what it meant while, at the same time, trying to scan her memory for any other slips of T. M. R. she might have missed before. This only made the threatening headache worsen.

Raven stopped pacing and collapsed on the bed lopsidedly, fiddled with the musty comforter, and stared at the ceiling for what seemed like hours, but in true could have been nothing more than ten minutes. The exhausted girl closed her eyelids to ease her stinging eyes and with out noticing slipped into a deep sleep.

**Linelinelineline**

Beast Boy sat crossed legged and frustrated on the lumpy mattress of the bed which Robin, Starfire, and Cyborg sat propped up against in sitting positions. He had given up trying to wake them a while ago. He was not prepared to wake his friends from a paralytic sleep. He tried everything he could think of, though I am not saying if that was a lot or not.

In order to keep himself from feeling guilty of lying down on the job, he decided to take a different course of action…basically, how would they escape once the three were awake. Beast Boy knew that Starfire and Cyborg could blast threw the walls when they were in working order, but blasting out walls sort of defeated the purpose of a _secret_ escape.

Beast Boy surveyed the room, which looked very much like the one he and Raven were in last night expect that it was slightly smaller, the bed was in the center of the room, and the dust on the floor had been worn away by recent amount of plentiful footsteps. The changeling decided that the best means of escape would probably the window, which pane had a long, thin crack running diagonally across it. Beast Boy peered out it and discovered they were only two stories up.

The smallest and greenest Teen Titan began to tie the pieces of cut rope together in order to use it to climb down. He was careful with the knots, making sure they were secure. His fingers were sore before he was only half way done. When he was close to completion he realized that Starfire and he could fly the two others out…that is if Cyborg could fit threw the meager window. Beat Boy sat down on the bed again, in even in more frustration.

**Linelinelineline**

Voldemort paced his study with malicious vigor. He never expected that the girl would think so logically and she would catch him in the midst of lie and deception that was key to his plot. If she found out ahead of time…the result would be disastrous on his part. He calmed himself at the thought that Raven did not yet have enough to piece together why she was needed so desperately.

The Dark Lord wandered on that train of thought temporarily and it lead to his possible success. He had been planning this _attack_ for a while with different scenarios before he even knew of Raven's existence. None of his schemes seemed to work or fit, but after he found out about Raven…oh, the possibilities that came with it. Dumbledore would _never_ see it coming, the attack on Hogwarts that was. Voldemort smiled a smile of pure evil joy. That old fool would never expect a move like this, never expect that he, the Dark Lord and murder of muggles and mudbloods, would ever use one as his secret weapon. The malicious man imagined with ecstasy that look of utter horror and shock on the Headmaster's face seconds before his death, realizing not only his own end, but his defeat, his downfall, he would have failed to protect his precious students and school from infiltration of the Death Eaters. Voldemort stopped pacing and laughed, not a chuckled or a snigger which where the only sign of amusement usually show by him, but a untainted laugh of amusement and happiness, even if the source of the pleasure was for such a horrible thing.

The Lord Voldemort sat down on a black wooden chair, with a high back that came to a point above his head. One of his elbows was perched on an armrest, as he leaned his head casually against his fist. Tonight he would test his theory, no, not breaking in Hogwarts, not just yet. It was too much of a risk if Raven could not do what he thought she could do. Now he had to make plans.

**Linelinelineline**

Beast Boy did not know how long he had been waiting: Hours, Days, Months, Years! The young changeling knew that his imagination was running away with him. It had not yet been a full day since he had entered this sinister, old mansion. He was still sitting on the bed and he occasionally poked the shoulders of his friends or snapped his fingers in front of the unconscious Titans. He gave up, he could not wake them. They would have to wake themselves up, for they were in a deep sleep that was definitely induced from an outside force.

Beast Boy got up from the bed and began walking in random directions across the room in order to stretch his legs. He morphed into a cat and stretched his back. The cat Beast Boy trotted lightly over to this friends and stared up at them from his position on the floor. He waited like for a while for lack of better things to do, occasionally his tail swaying or whiskers twitching. He was in such a daze that he did not see the Starfire voluntary moved her head into a presumably more comfortable position.

**Linelinelineline**

Raven awoke suddenly from her sleep, not knowing the reason. The first thing she noticed was the room was noticeably darker, but it was not yet night. She wrapped her arms around her shoulders and she registered how long she had been asleep. She tried to get her subconscious not to feel guilty about it. 'Frankly there was no good to be done here,' she reasoned. 'It is not like I could be doing anything productive and that sleep was good for me. I needed it, I deserved it, I earned it,' she said forcefully to herself in her head, yet she could not convince herself it was true. Her body felt rested, a little sore from the lumpy mattress maybe, but rested. Though her mind did not feel rested, it ached as though there had been pounding noises constantly as she slept and her eyes hurt ached as though she had watched _way_ too much television. Had her mind been working the whole time she slept? Fading memories of crazy and horrible dreams and nightmares flashed threw her mind before they disappeared from her conscious thought forever.

Raven sat up on the bed as it got steadily darker as dusk turned into evening and evening turned into night. She was suddenly cold and she rubbed her arms to rid herself of goose bumps that prickled her arms. She heard footsteps, but she ignored them, she heard the door open, but she ignored it. She heard someone approaching, but she ignored it. She saw someone's feet on the ground where she was staring at it, but she ignore it. But when she looked up into her and her friends' kidnapper's face she could not ignore it. His expression showed unaltered malevolence, the glint in his eye was of unjustifiable evil and not matter how hard she tried she could not ignore it.

**Linelinelineline**

Voldemort had called an elite meeting of a few select Death Eaters that would be involved in the attack/test-run tonight. They were all capable fighters, loyal, trustworthy, and had now where else to turn, which lead to the former two reasons. They were all convicted Death Eaters. They could not turn spy, no one would want them, accept them, or trust them. In a way his Death Eaters that had been prosecuted were more valuable and loyal then the ones who still pretended to be honorable members of society. They had nothing and everything to lose, nothing to lose for fighting for him and everything to lose for turning traitor. They were mostly the people who had kidnapped the Teen Titans

Lucius Malfoy was one of this group, so was Bellatrix Lestrang and a few irrelevant others. The stood in as a hooded group in the entrance hall after the briefing by their master in his study. They stood in a swarm like a floating pack of dementors or ghosts or demons. It was hushed and the only sound was that of whispers so swift and quiet that anyone who was listening in would have thought it was a breeze sneaking threw an open window or gaps in the aged and weary walls.

Lucius became suddenly popular because he knew the most, next to the Dark Lord, about the mysterious muggle girl from America. He was bombarded with questions, which he only half answered. One, to make the information sound confidential and that he was important enough to be trusted with it. Two, he really did not know that much.

**Linelinelineline**

Raven stared up at the man standing over her. She met his eyes and it was outright scary. All hint that there had been previously of courtesy and chivalry, that Raven knew was fake, had disappeared into absolute wickedness. Now that she had seen the true T.M.R. she wanted the false manners back. Raven quickly hid her emotions behind her trained mask of not caring.

His smirk was evident. He began to talk, it was like a rehearsed speech where he periodically paused as though waiting for a question or her opinion. He led himself into the topic. It was complete nonsense, like he was apologetic about his anger earlier and that he meant to explain some things to her, but never got the chance, blah, blah, blah.

"Remember," he continued, "the magic I referred to earlier," he went on. He had magic, so did his "Death Eaters." Raven's worst notions were confirmed. It tool her a while to process what she had just heard. Suddenly she did not feel so well.

"It's time," said Voldemort

"For what?" asked Raven, he first time speaking, genuinely confused.

"To see what you are worth," he replied with a malicious smirk as he took hold of her upper arm and led her out of the bedroom.

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Please Review! Next chapter thier will be action! 


	8. tests

Aki- I am so sorry I did not update last week, but I was crazily busy and this chapter could not be rushed. I might not be able to update next week either, but I will try

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**Chapter 8**

**Tests**

Raven was tugged not so gently across the hallway, down several flights of stairs and then a large, open first floor room and into an entry hall which she was pushed into unceremoniously. She stumbled, her hair flying in front of her eyes, but caught herself before falling and standing up straight and gave the Dark Lord a cold stare which probably would have frighten every other mere mortal but Voldemort.

Raven began to asses her surroundings (hero complex) and was surprised to see several figures dressed the same way she meet the blond British captor that Friday night. Their hoods were drawn and they wore masks and it made Raven suddenly feel a need to pull up her own hood, but she had seemed to loose control of her limbs. Their attention was half turned to her and half on Voldemort, who had begun talking…in a monologue. They truly, yet reluctantly turned to their master at the other side of the room. Raven attempted to shrink into the shadows, which was not very hard as the whole room was dark.

The snake-faced man kept talking on about something or the other that Raven did not comprehend because her ears suddenly seemed to stop working. In order to hide, she slouched over and ducked her head down. She stood like that for a few moments before she realized how vulnerable she looked and quickly straightened up. Raven just did _not_ show vulnerability!...or pretty much any other emotion for that matter. She was thankful that everybody was still looking the other way. She pulled her hood over her eyes; it was her only way to hid.

Voldemort continued with his, speech, monologue, battle plan thing and though Raven's hearing was now returned to her emotionally controlled mind, she just did not pay attention, she preferred not knowing what she was about to be participating in. She stood there for a moment consumed in her own thoughts before she noticed that everyone was looking at her. She figured that the Dark Lord had mentioned her.

He approached her with a an malicious smirk evident on his face, "I can tell from your bewildered expression that you had not been paying attention, but later better than sooner will work," he said, while taking a firm hold of her arm again and leading her out the front door with the "Death Eaters," following behind. Raven knew that T.M.R. had not seen a bewildered look on her face, for one she had her hood up and two, she did not show emotion in the first place.

The group assembled in a dark courtyard in front of the house, which seemed to be in the middle of nowhere on top of a hill. The night was exceptionally dark, for the sky was cloudy and the moon was just a slice of a crescent.

"Remember," shouted Voldemort to his Death Eaters without even turning around, "You are to apperate outside the building, in the alleyway." Then he leaned in close and whispered so only she could hear. "You had better pray that you can do what you think you can," after which he added as an afterthought, "This might make you dizzy." And withy that he and his Death Eaters apperated, but what Voldemort did not know was Raven had already been praying for what seemed like hours now.

All Raven heard was a mingled group of loud pops before the wilderness that surrounded the mansion had disappeared and in front of her, like magic, was a brick wall. She took a deep breath to calm her internal shock. She still felt the grip of he captor on her arm, yet it had loosened some. The darkest Teen Titan heard rusting behind her and turned her head to she the Death Eaters clumped tightly together in the narrow alley. She turned the other way to see their leader and saw him partially turned in what seemed like a silent count of his men. The smirk that had previously occupied his face had transformed into a serious expression. When he was sure that all his men were present he gave a small nod to himself and turned around again, while the Death Eaters behind her seemed to be getting restless, either from nerves or anticipation, bother not good choices, but Raven would prefer nerves.

Voldemort turned his attention back to the teenage girl, he released her arm after turning her to face him and leaned slightly down because of their major height differences and said quietly, "Now my sweet Raven…" Raven involuntarily shuddered at that name, which was what Malchior had called her, Voldemort either did not notice it or ignored it and continued, "I need you to _take_ yourself, my Death Eaters, and I into the building right behind this wall," he said before indicating to the brick wall next to them.

"And how, do I suppose, I do that?" she asked louder than Voldemort had talked in a sarcastic innocent voice.

"I guess you are going to have to figure that out by yourself," returned Voldemort, his voice in a dangerous hiss before continuing, "Miss Azarath Metrion Zinthos." A cold glare was all the answer Voldemort got. "Well?" he asked apprehensively.

"Why, do I suppose, I do that?" she replied in a monotone even more sarcastic.

"Because if you ever want to see your friends alive again…" he trailed off. Voldemort had played his trump card, and the problem was he could play whenever he wanted and all Raven had was small and obsolete moments of defiance.

Raven took a deep breath and turned towards the wall and shut her eyes and sarted clearly yet quietly under her breath chanting, "Azarath Metrion Zinthos… Azarath Metrion Zinthos... Azarath Metrion Zinthos…" the dark orb form around the whole group of people. The Death Eaters were put off by it, but silenced at a glare from their master. She orb slowly transformed into a smaller shadow and it phased threw the wall and into the lobby of the building and then opened up again to reveal a strange group indeed and if anyone had been there to see it.

The room was empty and all the lights were off expect for a few emergency ones that only come on when all the lights are off. The dim lights revealed a smooth tile floor, a few chairs and coffee tables with magazines piled on them against the wall and a receptionist desk. Voldemort and a few of his Death Eaters muttered words under their breath a light shoed up at the end of their wands.

"Knott, Ringwood, stand guard here." He commanded and to masked men nodded, "The rest of you, follow me. And Lucius…" was all he said cocking his head in Raven's direction before moving up the stairs with the Death Eaters in his wake. Raven stood rooted to her spot before Lucius shoved her along.

She was herded near the front of the group as the pack of Death Eaters followed Voldemort upstairs and there hallways only lite with wand light. Suddenly the group stopped and Raven had to catch herself from walking into the single person in front of her. Parallel to the group was an ordinary closed door. The horde of masked men and women stood so silent tat it was almost creepy so the sounds of movement and work could be heard from whatever room was behind that door.

'People are in there,' Raven thought to herself in realization. That was definitely a bad thing for those people.

All of the sudden, Raven was pulled of to the hallway wall before Voldemort looked at his group, "You know what to do," and they did.

They broke down the door with magic and charged threw it and soon following where the sound of screams that seemed to abruptly silenced. Raven tried to ignore those scream, but they were as hard to ignore as when the their was a dull thump nearby and a limp and lifeless arm fell across the threshold. AT the sight, Raven closed her eyes and sucked in a sharp breath.

Voldemort did nothing, he just waited and watched. It was an easy job, his lackeys could handle it. He observed Raven, wanting to know how she would react. It slightly interested him since she did not react the way a typical teenager would. He noticed her sharp breath when a corpse fell near the doorway.

Raven opened her eyes again a looked directly at the wall across from her, but unintentionally her eyes drifted to the open door way where she saw the commotion on the other side. It was a good thing that she did look because if she had not she would have been hit with a deflected spell which Raven blocked with a reflexive use of her magic. When the spell hit it did not bounce of like one might expect, but seemed to sizzle up and disappear. Though Raven did not see it, Voldemort smiled…his theory was correct.

Soon after they left, but not before one of the number shot a green image into the sky of a skull and a snake. Raven was in a daze, feeling as if she had murdered those innocent victims herself. Though she knew that the evil group could have done it without her, she still felt responsible, like an accomplice. She just stood their and let the innocent get killed. That was exactly opposite of what she did as a superhero, what she had swore to do. Sure, they were nameless and faceless people and she wanted to save her friends. But those people that had died tonight had been someone else's friend, someone else's family. No matter how Raven tried to rationalize the situation and reason with herself she could not get over feeling accountable and even a little dirty, like she was tainted by evil or infected with crime. Raven shivered.

She did not know how or when, but before Raven knew it, she was being pushed back into the gloomy mansion room. She sat down upon the edge of the bed, face downcast, and wrapped her arms around herself for comfort. A sudden feeling of helplessness and vulnerablilty consumed her as well as a feeling that took Raven more time than the others to comprehend. It was sadness. Wait, could she be sad? It was more like mourning. She was mourning for those who had lost their lives this night and…for herself and the situation she had gotten herself and her friends into. Great, now she pitied herself.

"Oh, Beast Boy," Raven thought, "please get them out soon."


	9. meanwhile, back at the ranch

**AKI- **I am so sorry I have not updated for two weeks, but I have been so busy the last two weekends and I was away from home. Please forgive me. I would like to thank all my reviewers. I hope you like this chapter.

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**Chapter 9**

**Meanwhile**,** back at the Ranch...**

(I just wanted to name this chapter that so bad. It is so cheesy it tastes good)

Beast Boy was curled up as a cat at Starfire's feet in an unintentional nap. His dreams were happy, fun…normal. He was at Titan Tower with all the Titans. Cyborg and him were arguing over a video game or food preferences or both at the same time. Raven was off to herself, yet still with the group, Starfire was joyously making _something_ in the kitchen, and Robin was watching with dismay, trying to figure his way out of eating it. The best part is that they were all together and safe.

As moonlight leaked hazily threw the grubby window and landed on the Beast Boy's cat face awakening him. His cat form squinted his eyes it block out the light and go back to sleep, but it was too late. He was awake. His cat form curled into a more comfortable position with his head hidden for the moonlight with his paw.

He lay their curled up like a little furry green ball, yet Beast Boys futile attempts at sleep were useless, that is what you get for sleeping all day. He yawned and stretched out his body. He had done it so many times before, but it seemed like the only thing to do in this large, silent house.

'Mmmm,' this sound did not come from Beast Boy as he stretched. It was not a growl from his stomach, though that would have been appropriate because of his dire hunger. The 'Mmmm,' had come from someone else completely and that is why it is so important. I just find that it fair to warn you that this will be a turning point in the story, one of the few for good, for there are many sad and depressing events still to come. This is how an insignificant sound has such a significant role in this story.

Beast Boy transformed back into himself and stared at Starfire while in a crouched position. She groaned again as though wishing to fall back unconscious after a restless night. He head lolled from side to side as like to find a more comfortable position as a few short moans escaped her lips as well as an exhausted yawn.

"Starfire," the young, green changeling whispered as he moved closer to his Tameranian friend. "Star…" he took grip of her shoulders and gave her a little shake. Her head flopped back and forth on her shoulders.

"Come on Star…wakey wakey…"

"But Goglthof, I wish not to go to school today…"

BB sweat-dropped and began shaking a little faster and harder and spoke louder, "Come on Starfire…_please_, wake up…" He continued persistently and one must admire his effort and, frankly put, it worked.

Starfire sat up promptly and was frightened to see someone so closed to her she gave a small squeal and shot star bolts (AN: Is that one word or two?) from her eyes. Luckily Beast Boy noticed her eyes grow green and ducked out of the way just in time, for now their was a hole in the wall directly were the greenest member of the Teen Titan's head was only seconds before.

"Calm down Star. It's me, Beast Boy."

"I am so sorry friend Beast Boy," Starfire said before she stared nervously around the room trying to get her bearings.

"Um, friend," started Starfire nervously again, "Can you tell me the place of where we are?"

Beast Boy opened his mouth as to state a simple answer and it hung there for a few seconds, while Star waited with tense anticipation. For a moment he looked confused then finally sad, "Truthfully Star, I don't know where we are."

"If you do not know where we are, then how did we get here?"

Beast Boy let out an audible sigh and started to retell the events of the last few days. Starfire listened gap-mouthed and wide eyed as the changeling told the story, increasing his importance of course.

"I remember the attack," began Starfire sadly when Beast Boy finished his tale, "It was a surprise really. We were just doing the hanging out and all the sudden cloaked men showed up out of thin air. We tried to fight them, but they had sticks of light…" Star trailed off and looked past Beast Boy with glazed eyes as in thought.

"Sticks of light? Do you mean flashlights, Star?" asked Beast Boy innocently curious and intently intrigued.

"No, they were not the flashing light sticks." Beast Boy wondered to himself what the sticks of light were, but found it fit to move on.

"So what happened next?"

"I remember seeing Robin the first to be hit by one of the lights, it was red I believe. I was so upset that when I jumped up to fight the evildoers I knocked my glurslop on the floor. Friend Cyborg was the next down, he banged into the radio when he fell. I was so afraid when I alone, but I was also righteously angry," said Star with balled up fists, "I could block the men with the sticks of light attacks with my star bolts, but there were so many of them." Starfire shuddered at the thought. Beast Boy put a hand on her shoulder to comfort her.

"Go on," said the green elf in an uncharacteristic serious and mature way.

"That was all. I awoke here."

**Linelinelineline**

Beast Boy sat crossed legged on the floor, chin leaning on one fist, mildly amused, yet obviously bored watching Starfire's futile attempts to wake up Robin. Beast Boy did not wear a watch and was not very good with estimating time, but he guessed this had been going on for about…a hundred billion years. That is translatable to a little over a half of an hour.

Starfire was standing up and held Robin by his shoulders. Due to Star's alien strength, she held Robin effortlessly inches off the floor and shook him back and forth with ease. She did not relies how had hard and viciously she was shaking poor Robin. Beast Boy observed as their leader's head bobbled brutally about his shoulders and concluded it was probably not good for his health or for his spine, but the mildly amused, yet obviously bored Beast Boy could not find the courage to get in-between Starfire and, lets just call Robin her prey, because had any stranger walled in on this event, that is what it would have appeared to be.

"Friend Robin," began Starfire quietly, "please awake now. Robin …friend … friend Robin … Robin friend … awake now please." The Tameranian's voice steadily got louder as her attempts seemed to become more useless. Suddenly Starfire stopped shaking Robin and her eyes light up as if she had a brilliant idea, which was true…except for the brilliant part.

Starfire sucked in a large breath of air and yelled in a tremendously thunderous voice, "**ROBI-," **she was cut off by Beast Boy who, at her scream, leapt from the floor behind Starfire and slapped his hand over her mouth disabling her speaking, or in this case yelling, abilities.

"Dude, Star, you can't scream, if anyone heard you hey will find out you are awake and put you out again. You don't want that, do you?" Starfire shook her head slightly. "Okay," continued Beast Boy, "I'm going to take my hand of your mouth, but you have to promise not to yell anymore, right? Nod if you're with me," the red-headed alien nodded and the green titan slowly removed his hand from her face. The two waited, unmoving and silent for a few moments listening for ant footsteps of anyone who night of discovered that one of their captives was awake. The heard no sound of the sorts, for whether it was fate, destiny, luck, or just a coincidence, all the house was vacant, for anyone that might have been their were in the middle of a secret mission, including Raven.

"You can put Robin down now." Starfire released Robin from her _gentle_ hold and he dropped _gently_ to the _gentle _floor with a _gentle_ thump. Beast Boy winced as Robin's head mercilessly hit the hard wood floor. The changeling was thankful that he was not the unconscious Robin, who would have his fare share of aches and pains, as well as bruises and bumps, when he wakes. He was also slightly irritated at Star, because had made a lot of noise again, even if it had not been with her voice. He did not feel like explaining to Starfire that not yelling and not dropping people on the floor were pretty much the same thing.

"I am sorry my friend," spoke Starfire in a barely audile whisper before she collapse into a sitting position on the bed. Beast Boy went and sat next to her. "I am just confused by this strange human sleeping disease."

"It is not a disease, Star. It happened to you too, remember?"

"Then what is it?" asked Starfire confused, frustrated, and understandability upset.

"I really don't know. I wish I did Star, I really wish I did know what was happening. Their has not been a lot of times that I have felt that my friends or me did not have control of what was happening...Remember the time that I transformed into that monster and everyone thought I attacked Raven?" the teenage girl nodded sadly, "I felt horrible when that happened. I could not believe I had hurt Rae, but I did not know if I did. Parts of memory were blank, I could not control my actions, and my friends could not even trust me and had to fight me. Sometime during that was the first time I truly felt helpless, like things had been taken out of my hands and out of my control like there was someone controlling all the pieces. But this time it is not like that, you wanna know why?"

"Yes, friend, please tell me."

"You just said it. The main difference between then and now is that I have my friends with me, that I can rely on and I can trust that they will do the right thing and I will never doubt them."

Beast Boy looked up at Starfire. The first thing he noticed is that she was smiling; the second was the wet tear trails down her cheeks. Those two titans really connected at that moment. Their bond had been tightened and their friendship had been raised to a new and higher level.

Starfire threw her arms around Beast Boy and gave him a literally back breaking hug, "That was beautiful friend," exclaimed the Tameranian as Beast Boy struggled for breath.

"Yeah, Yeah, beautiful," said an irritated voice, "Can't a guy get some sleep around here."

Star gasped as she let go of Beast Boy, "Friend Cyborg, you have awoken!"


	10. lights, camera

**Lights, Camera…**

**Chapter 10**

Raven sat out the remainder of the night cross-legged on the bed. It was strange that back at Titan Tower the shadows of her room comforted her, but here, the darkness was threatening, scary, strange, and cruel. The night, even thought it was half finished by the time Raven was back in her room, crept by unnaturally slow.

The dark girl attempted to mediate, but her mind was full of too many things to even try to clear it. So many things had happened in the past few days that her whole mind was packed with mixed memories, confusing secrets, tangled clues, bizarre theories, and harsh realities. Admittingly, when the snake-faced man had told her about his magic, she did not truly believe him, but tonight, when there had been so much of it, Raven knew it was real, she had felt it. Curse her senses, she wish she was stuck in naivety because sometimes the truth is too harsh, too cruel, too malicious. The other Titans had no clue what they were up against…

**Linelinelinelineline**

Cyborg's awakening had been quit a shock to Starfire and Beast Boy. It was a surprise to Cyborg also, because he had no clue in the world, in the universe, where he was. Beast Boy quickly summarized the events of the last few days again and then Cyborg recounted his record of events at the attack which was similar, if not the same, as Star's. Then, as a rule, Cyborg began attempt to awaken Robin. Starfire waited with troubled and impatient anxiousness and Beast Boy watched from a distant, ready to stop Cyborg if he decided to shout like Starfire had. He did not.

Cyborg ran an analysis on Robin with his scanners to see if it could detect anything wrong with him. The half-robot found nothing different about their leader except that his heart and breathing rate was lower than normal, which is understandable because of the long time Robin had been unconscious.

"Then what could it be?" asked the red-headed beauty in a vexed tone.

"Honestly, Star, I don't know. It could be almost anything, but nothin' was picked up by my scanners," answered Cyborg in a somber voice, "But...," he continued reluctantly, "My scanners have been wrong before."

"I think the real question is," said Beast Boy, for the first time coming to the conversation, "Is why you two could wake up and he," he nodded his head toward Robin, "can't." Cyborg regarded Beast Boy strangely because the green titan stood their soberly, arms crossed, with not hint of a laugh, a joke, or even panic on his face. The changeling cut into Cyborg's thoughts with another comment. "And even more important is what made you guys unconscious in the first place."

There was a chilling silence throughout the room. The reason? Well, no one can be sure of what it truly was. Some say it is because the other two were stunned by Beast Boy's sudden maturity, others say it was they were all pondering the question or that they were out of things to say, still others believe it was because they heard someone nearby and stayed silent as not to be heard. Though there is no proof of any of these theories are right, they were all conceivable.

**Linelinelinelineline**

Voldemort as thrilled by the night's success. First, his theory was proven true; Raven's shadow powers counteracted the magic of his people, all the wizards and witches. Of course Raven did not know this, it was crucial to his plot that she did not know; otherwise she might get smart and try to escape with her friends. It had been Voldemort's plan all along to reveal enough to keep Raven worried and subdued with out revealing enough to make her discover their weaknesses.

He glowed at the cleverness of it all; of course you do not even know the good part yet. He Dark Lord had deliberately had one of the Death Eaters shot a harmless spell at Raven during the attack to see if she could block it and it of course looked like an accident. Oh yes he was a genius, it was a bitter blow to his ego that he had not outsmarted Albus Dumbledore yet, the fool. Just the thought of that _benevolent _old man made the serpentine lord fume with fury. The wise Headmaster of Hogwarts was right on top of Lord Voldemort's hit list along with Harry Potter, as well as the mudbloods, muggles, and all the members of the Order of the Phoenix, as soon as he learned who they all were.

That leads us to the second accomplishment of the night; the only thing that reassured Voldemort's murderous hate would soon be fulfilled. This attack had not just been a random genocide of good. It was strategic in a many of ways. Let me break it down for you. The Dark Lord planned to attack Hogwarts tomorrow night, just after sunset. The timing was essential because no one, and I repeat, no one, would expect such a large scale attack sat this time especially the night after another had just happened. Secondly, no one would notice what was missing from the office before tomorrow night. That brings us to the juicy part; the meat of the story per say, the building the Death Eaters had attacked that night was am undercover (to muggles) government archives outpost. It held all the documents and blue-prints to the British wizarding world. Voldemort's Death Eaters had stolen the one of the two official Hogwarts complete blue-prints (the other was kept in the school itself).

These said blue-prints contained more than just the architectural aspects of the school, which were self-correcting when anything changed, but also a layout of the magical defenses surrounding the school, say like were the apperation barrier is. Do you catch the drift? Naturally the barrier has no such effect on Raven's magic, particularly her teleporting ability.

If the snake lord had been one to laugh evilly or steeple his fingers he would have done so at this moment as he looked at the blue-prints laid out before him on an antique wooden table. _Tomorrow night_, mused the Dark Lord as the sun began to rise over the horizon. Its beams gazed through one of the windows. _No, correction_, _today_.

**Linelinelinelineline**

The sun began to light up Ravens room. It was comforting for some unknown reason. It was probably because all the bad things that happened in the last several days had happened at night. The kidnapping of the titans, the meetings at Arrow's Point, and the attack at the building. Day had seemed like a release, a safety of some sort.

_Oh, but why does it have to be magic_, thought Raven disheartened. Technology, aliens, robots, natural forces, bombs, hypnosis, time and mind control, man-made viruses, anything but magic. The goth girl knew that the Teen Titians could beat those things because they have before. The Titans only involvement with close to real magic was a fiasco. They only got out of the magic hat because of Raven's quick thinking in a dire situation. This was a dire situation too, but Raven could do nothing but sit and wait.

She had no clue what was going to happen next and she hated it being like that. She wanted nothing more than to morph her friends and herself out of this mess, but that was harder said than done. First their was guard standing outside her door and her checked to she if she was still in the room what seemed like every five minutes.

Second, what if one of the _Death Eaters_ found her sneaking around they had powerful magic, they would be able to stop her and mostly likely hurt her or, more importantly, any or all of her friends. Plus if her friends were still here, they might find Beast Boy. Raven shivered at the thought of another one of friends in the ruthless clutches of the enemy.

Third, this house, excuse me, I mean mansion, was humungous and had, Raven estimated for a minute in her head, a million different halls and passageways. Raven could not recall how to get to the room were her friends were being held captive as she was rushed through them previously. And if she did find the room, what if they were already gone by the time she got their. Come on they were probably already gone right now.

I am very happy to report that Raven's last thought was half way accurate for Beast Boy, Starfire, Cyborg (It was a bit of a squeeze), and a still unconscious Robin were existing threw the only window in their captive room as Raven thought this. The reason behind this success was a critical mistake of Voldemort's. See, taking so many precautions to make sure Raven did not escape he had a slip of mind about his other captives. They had not been checked on for many hours now. But of course they did not need to be checked on, they were unconscious…right?

That was what he thought…


	11. dogs, snakes, and raven, oh my!

**AKI**- Sorry I have not updated in a while, but my mom had major surgery last week and I had to stay over my Grandmother's house and then I had exams to study for exams. Enough for excuses. Thank you all of my reviews, I hope you like this chappie. I worked really hard on it.

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**Chapter 10**

**Dogs, and snakes, and Raven. Oh, my!**

Another day had come. Though it had been less than a week since three of the Teen Titans had been captured, to Raven it felt like an eternity. She could only judge time by the hourly chiming of a distant clock somewhere in the mansion. Sometime around noon a Death Eater came in with a tray of food. Though the bearer was still wearing a black robe, he did not wear a mask or his hood and observed Raven in a curious manner rather than a malicious one as Raven might suspect. Nonetheless Raven gave him a maliciously cold look as he entered, set the food down and excited. She barely even moved her head, just the pupils of her eyes. No matter how much Raven did not want to touch the food out of spit or fear of being drugged, it was the first sight of food she had seen for days, so she devoured it hungrily. The hours dragged on at an impossibly sluggish manner. Although Raven did not know it, she was not the only one who felt that way...

Lord Voldemort paced around his study in anticipation. The plans had been set and everything was ready. The night was to far away for his taste and he could not wait. In his impatience he looked for something to do or someone to order around. He finally commanded some lowly lackey to get Raven food. He had half a mind to leave her starving, but decided against it. He was going to need her in prime condition tonight to properly execute his marvelous plan. The Dark Lord dwelled on the thought. It was going to be a full scale attack, secret attack and he was going to succeed because of his secret weapon. Dumbledore would never even expect it…

Beast Boy, Cyborg, and Starfire holding up a still unconscious Robin stood in the middle of a pine forest clearing. The mansion they were captured in stood slightly in the distant on top of a small hill. They were in a conference prioritizing what was needed to be done now that they were free.

"We need to awake Robin," insisted Starfire persistently even after her idea had been rebuked due to pervious failure, "He will surely lead us to victory."

"Star, we have been over this," explained Cyborg patiently, yet slightly downhearted, "We don't know how to wake him and nothing has worked so far."

"He's right, Starfire," added Beast Boy solemnly.

"Do not trouble friends, for I have surely thought of a way to awake Robin, though it is most grievous that I have not thought of it earlier."

"What is it, Star?" asked Cyborg impatiently, though trying not to show his irritation to the faith of the girl because he knew she had good intensions at heart.

The red-headed beauty smiled warmly, "Tameranian acupuncture." Neither Beast Boy nor Cyborg could talk Starfire out of it and honestly, neither actually tried to. The Tameranian flipped Robin effortlessly upside down and did something that looked quite painful. To all their surprise a groan escaped from Robin's lips. Whether the acupuncture actually worked or the spell on Robin had finally run its course may never be know, but what is know that Starfire dropped Robin on his head before hugging him upside down and calling out his name in joy, "Robin!"

It took a little while for Rob into get oriented with himself and his surroundings and when he did he got straight to business. It took a better part of the day to explain to Robin what had happened and caught him up to the now, especially with him interrupting and asking questions, to what seemed to Beast Boy, every three seconds. When Robin was satisfied with the degree of detail he had received he started strategizing and working out the current problems.

"First thing, we need to figure out where we are. Cyborg?" alleged Robin in a commanding, yet patient tone.

Cyborg looked at this arm sensor and typed in a few things, "Well, according to this. We are in the middle of the British countryside."

"We're in England?" said Robin in a very surprised way. The half-robot simply nodded in an answer.

"He's right," added Beast Boy.

"England is far, yes?" asked Starfire confused.

"Yeah Star, "confirmed Robin. "Next issue," continued the leader, "We need to find out who the people are who kidnapped us and why they did," said Robin looking firmly in Beast Boy's direction, knowing he had the most knowledge on the topic.

Beast Boy took the hint, "I don't know any of their names, but their leader is, well, quit frankly, just plain creepy. He doesn't even look human," Beast Boy stopped talking in deep thought.

"What did he look like?" prodded Robin.

"He was talk and on the thinner side. He was pale skinned and bald and his face was …snake-like."

"Is that it?" asked Robin skeptically.

"Oh yeah, and he had red eyes," all but BB sweat-dropped at that.

"So…," said Cyborg breaking the silence, "why does he want us?"

"Not us," corrected Beast Boy, "Raven." Robin looked piercingly at the green changeling as he absorbed that new information. "You guys were just the leverage, the way to get her to do what he wants."

Robin opened his mouth to say something important, but he never got to finish because that was when the pack of wild dogs attacked.

**linelinelinelinelineline**

The dusk was approaching swiftly on the late autumn day. The red-eyed dark lord smiled grimly with anticipation. This would be the best night of his life he decided. He sent for Raven. It was too late, too close to have any foul ups now. She would have to stay safely watched until the night came. Of course, she needed to have a briefing too.

Soon after the dark girl was brought roughly into the windowless room, were she was given a hard back wooden chair which she sat in, crossed legged and cross armed, in the corner. Her hood was drawn far over her face, putting half of it in shadow. Her eyes seemed to glow white from underneath it. Her expression was somewhere between apathy and anger, not a hint of fear, though Raven feared her rapidly pounding heart would surely betray her, as she glared at the dark lord across the room in an incessant silence.

Voldemort looked over the Hogwarts blue-prints again, making sure that he had not overlooked a tiny detail that would prove fatal for his ingenious plan. When he assured himself that everything was perfected, he looked up from the table against the wall to see notice Raven's unabated glare.

"Well," said Voldemort turning toward the teen girl completely and continued in a sarcastic, mock, teacher-like way, "There is no need for that attitude." Raven's glaring eyes narrowed into thin slits as she glowered at the man. "Come here," he summoned with a small wave more vindictive tone than when he had previously spoken.

Raven stood from her chair at the far wall and walked stiffly over to the man, arms still rapped around her chest. She leaned forward slightly to see what was lying on the table. It was a rough parchment, not unlike the kind the ransom note was written on. It obviously had been rolled up because the parchment's corners where held down by a goblet, an inkwell, a potion bottle, and a paper weight. Raven scanned the paper and realized that it was an outline of a, she was taken back for a moment, castle manner. As her eyes examined the plans, she absorbed some of the labeling, Dark Forest, Gamekeepers Hut, Quiditch Pitch…whatever that was. Immediately Raven's eyes were drawn up to the title of the page. The cursive hand-writing read '_Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_.' Truthfully, Raven had seen so many weird things it did not faze her.

"We'll be paying a …visit here tonight," said the wizard cryptically. Raven did not need any further explanation on the subject. She knew instantly what he meant. She was going to have to help him with another attack. She shivered slightly at the thought. Then something in her mind was triggered. Her eyes instantly flew to the title again, hoping against hope that she had read it wrong the first time. It said '_Hogwarts **School.**_' It was a school. There would be children their, people her own age and younger. It was hard enough the first time to help this man with his murderous attack on random people, but children, that was different, that was worse. Children are innocent, young, and have so much life to live and look forward to.

Though Raven's face remained impassive, Voldemort could sense her horror and discontent. He used one long finger under chin to raise her head so she would look at him in the eyes. She stared at him in disgust.

"Now," he began poisonously, "You have to ask yourself what is more important to you. On one hand you have an unknown number of nameless and faceless people that you have never met." He paused for dramatic effect. Raven's hands were now at her side and she was balling them into fists, "And on the other hand you have your precious friends, their lives, and their wellbeing." Raven's fingernails were cutting into the flesh of her palms. "Now come on Raven, they're only children."

Raven could contain herself no longer, so she broke her silence, "You are a monster."

"No more than you, Raven."

"No, don't put us on the same level. I am nothing like you."

"That is were you're wrong child. You are everything like me."

"I don't murder children."

"But you're helping me." Raven said nothing. Voldemort smiled to himself. "You claim that we are nothing alike, but you are just as selfish. You would trade the lives of tens, maybe hundreds of innocents to rescue the lives of your friends, to rescue yourself, maybe not from death, but from the pain of losing them. It is a fine line between good and evil. Who is the monster now Raven? They are just helpless, foolish children…just like you."

Raven knew she had been wrong when she had called him a monster, he was a snake.


	12. good news and bad news

**Reviewer responses-**

**MCLBLUE-** Wow, all capitals, last chapter must have really been good.

**longbca-** Thanks you thinks it cool, well here is the update.

**Sigma1-** Your the second person to say that was the best chapter yet. I hope I can beat it. Thanks for your concern abou my mom.

**Moto Chick-** Thank you sooooooo much. That review really made my day. I am so glad you enjoy this story that much.

**IswaruOfCkaloatia-** Tahnks for the review and Raven is going to be so pissed when she finds out that he could not hurt her.

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**Chapter 12**

**Good News and Bad News**

Night had finally come. The sun had set and dusk was in the past and the minutes slowly clicked later and later. Raven silently sat, brooding on what she was going to have to do, until Voldemort ushered her up and lead her through his villainous headquarters to where his Death Eaters were gathering. The Dark Lord had a light yet firm grip on her arm as he steered through the passageways. He walked slower and more casually than the night before so Raven began taking metals notes the path on which she was being lead. 'Straight down the passage, left onto the main hallway, left down a flight of stairs, Take a left off the stairs, down another staircase, go into the second room on the right, go threw the door on the opposite side of the room, into the entryway.'

Raven recognized the room as the same one that the evil wizard and his minions had gathered in the night previous, but this time instead of leaving her in a dark corner, the Dark Lord pulled her up to the front of the room with him. The attention turned to them. One of the bunch stepped forward, made a low bow and then said,

"They have been briefed, my lord."

"Good," replied the Dark Lord to the man, which Raven recognized, by his voice, as the Death Eater as the first she met on that not so distant, yet fateful Friday night. Then Voldemort addressed the entire group.

"Tonight," he began powerfully, "is the night that has long been awaited. The hard-work and the pain will be paid for in full." The man smiled wickedly and though Raven could not see the Death Eaters faces she was sure they were all smirking also. Then the Dark Lord whispered to himself so no others could hear, "The war is beginning."

**Linelinelinelinelineline**

The pack of wild dogs took the renowned Teen Titans a good while to handle. Not because they were particularly vicious or strong, nor because they were alien dogs, robotic, genetically improved, or another thing of the such. Truthfully, the Titans hindrance came from the inside. Beast Boy insisted that they did not kill, injure, or even harm the dogs, and well, the dogs did not give them the same courtesy.

So after fleeing the dogs by flight so they could not track their sent, the Teen Titans sat perched in the branches of a wide oak tree, picking up their little conference where it left off. Honestly it was not a pretty sight. Robin was telling off Beast Boy for being naive enough to fall for Raven's _plan_ and for letting her go off by herself; the changeling kept feeling increasingly bad for being that stupid and knew he could never live with it if anything happened to Raven; Starfire became progressively more and more worried; and Cyborg was attempting to track Raven with his sensors.(AN-If that is not a run-on sentence, I don't know what is.)

"Hey, I got her," said Cyborg, interrupting the terrible worry that surrounded the tree-bound group as he looked at the screen on his arm. "Even though her communicator signal is off, I can locate her with the tracker that is in her brooch."

"Where is she?" asked Robin urgently.

"She is still at the house."

"Let's go," and with that command, the group climbed or jumped to the ground from the tree, and Cyborg lead the way from the deeps of the forest towards the mansion. They did not fly because they could only do that above the trees, and they were trying to keep a low profile.

They walked for several minutes threw the deeps of the forest and the trees started to thin out. Suddenly, Cyborg stopped. Beast Boy, who was lost in his own thoughts and regrets, walked right into the back of him.

"What is it, Cyborg?" Robin asked agitatedly.

"Yes, friend, why do you stop?" asked Starfire in a concerned tone, while hovering a foot above the ground.

"It's Raven," Cy replied.

"What about her?" interrupted BB before Cyborg could explain.

The half-robot turned to the team, "She disappeared." He continued after he saw their confused faces, "Her signal, it is no longer in the house."

"Was her tracker turned off?" asked Robin.

"No, her signal is still working," answered Cyborg after typing a few things in on his computer in his arm, "She has just moved…really fast. I need to get a new lock on her…"

**linelinelinelinelineline**

Raven did not know what it was called or how it worked, but the second time was just as unnerving as the first. Just as they did not night prior, the Dark Lord and his Death Eaters magically transported from one place to another in a split second and took her with them. This time, instead of being stuck in a narrow alleyway, they were in the middle of a dark and very intimidating forest. Everything in there gave off an eerie vibe. Raven's senses were tingling, and, unless she was very much mistaken, several of the Death Eaters appeared to be uncomfortable with the current surroundings as well.

The faction moved swiftly and almost completely silently through the woods. All that could be heard was the padding of feet, deep breathing, the occasional crack of a twig, and the whistle of an uncanny wind threw the trees. Sometimes their was a howl or whine in the distance of a creature that sounded fit to come straight out of a horror monster flick that Beast Boy was so found of watching all the time.

The distance traveled could only be measured by the changes in the terrain of the land. Raven was ever so watchful, her senses heightened in what seemed to be a dangerous place, so she noticed when the trees seems to become farther apart, the air became thinner, and the tree trunks were narrower and shorter. Soon they approached the edge of the forest. Raven could see their the gap of the trees and no matter how much she could have prepared herself for it, it still took her breath away. It was beautiful. The tall castle stood gleaming against the night sky, the cool gray stone spotless and mingled in the moonlight. It seemed to have a halo around it and Raven, though she was sure it was her imagination, heard cheerfully conversation and laughing, even across the immense expanse. It was all that she could do to stop her mouth from hanging open.

Raven's first peaceful moment she had had for days was sourly interrupted by the voice of one villain, "Charming, isn't it?" he asked in a cynical way as the moved to the edge of the trees. "There was a time that I called it home," he said in a quiet voice so only Raven could hear, "But those days are long gone." He put out a hand to stop the Death Eaters. In a whisper, more to himself than Raven he concluded, "Back when I was still just T.M.R."

Raven remembered those initials as the ones that were signed on the bottom of the Titans' ransom note. She also recalled the time before in which this evil man said that it was someone he used to be. The gothic girl was not sure she understood what this meant, but she did not understand the cryptic things he was saying now. Some of the things he said seemed so…sincere.

Again, her thoughts were interrupted by the wizard next to her. "Remember what did last night?" he asked as if she where a little child. Raven glared at him for an answer. "Well," he continued, "We are going do that again tonight, but you are going to get a bigger part to play. See, along with transporting us in, you are going to make a little shield for us. In other words you are going to be our defense during his surprise attack. Do you understand?"

Raven's glare wavered, she closed her eyes to clear her head, and when she opened them again she ground her teeth before saying in the most defiant and insolent tone she could conjure, a quiet, venomous, "Yes."

"Good," he said, but he thought, '_Not like you have a choice.' _"After this little mission, you and your friends are home free."

_'I doubt that,'_ thought Raven.

"Now, sweet Raven, take us in."

**linelinelinelinelineline**

The four of the Teen Titans decided to keep moving and to investigate the house while Cyborg tried to get a lock on Raven again. Not too long later the house came into view.

"Cy, do you know if anyone is in there?" asked Robin

Cyborg ran a quick heat scan if the house and then answered, "Not a living soul."

The group reentered the mansion threw the same window they had left it. Their anxious leader, Robin, quickly picked the lock on the door and they entered the ghostly hallway. They swiftly went down the hallways, opening the doors to reveal unused bedrooms, musty lounges, well-over due bathrooms, worn-out dens, and even a few dust-covered libraries.

A hallway or two later the group found something of use. They had spread out and covered a large area before Beat Boy called for them.

"What is it BB?" asked Cyborg, the first to reach him.

"Yes, friend, what?" squealed Star nervously, the second to arrive. Robin came panting up to them.

"This is the room that the snake-faced man was in. It was his study." The Teen Titans fanned out to search the room, but everything of importance was either removed or under locks that even Rob or Cy could pick.

Beast Boy's eyes wandered to the far corners of the room, where a lone door was tucked into. He had not noticed the first time he was in this room or maybe he had and just disregarded it as a closet. He walked slowly over to it, it was ajar. He pushed it open. The door swung open silently on its hinges. What was inside made his eyes widen.

The walls were covered with pinned up pictures, newspaper articles, and magazine covers all proclaiming things about the Teen Titans. On all of them the passages abut Raven were highlighted and her picture was circled. The single desk was cluttered with books that you would never find in a normal library. They were about demons and magic and alternate dimensions.

"Guys," called the changeling over his shoulder, "You have got to see this." The group came over and they were surprised as he was.

"And I thought Robin was obsessive," said Cyborg and Robin did not even retort.

"He definitely did his research," said Rob in an awed whisper as he looked at the cover of one of the books which read, _Dark Arts and the Underworld._

Cyborg's arm started beeping and he left the dimly lighted room to read it. The others exited behind him and one of them, though they were not sure who now, unconsciously closed the door behind them. After it slammed shut, they could only see it for a second before it melted back into the wall.

After they got over that shock, Cyborg began, "Y'all, I got some good news and some bad news. What do you want first?"

"Bad news," said Robin conversationally.

"Bad news, Raven's signal has gone off."

"Good news?" asked Robin after a silence from Cyborg.

"Good new is that I now where she was three seconds before it did," said the half-robot with a smile.


	13. hogwarts

**AKI--Thanks for all the reviews. I got a lot for last chapter. I am not going to write personal responses, but they are all very much appreciated. Oh, and **Sigma 1**, I fixed the things in the last chapter, that you pointed out in your review. **

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**Chapter 13**

**Hogwarts**

Raven sucked in a deep breath. She began to whisper her magic words clearly under her breath. She closed her eyes and moved into a meditative state. She brought her arms in an arching curve above her head, were her hands met directly above her head and she brought them down in front of her. A black magical wave began to incase her and the group of people surrounding her. Soon they were all submerged in darkness and Raven found a surprising comfort in it, because it was her territory.

The calm swiftly left her when the when her mind was drawn back to who she was helping, what she was doing, and those she was condemning. No matter how hard Raven tried to rationalize her actions, she was still immerged in feelings of shame and guilt. What she was doing was wrong, way wrong, down-right evil. This was everything she had always fought against, everything she had sworn against ever becoming, yet here she was.

Thinking of her friends, Raven pushed these dispiriting thoughts from her head. She had a lot of practice at this, especially at late. She had long lived in a world were she continually dwelling in a lie. Pretending everything bad just was not their. But like always the time comes when you have to face the truth, and as always, Raven hated those times, most likely because she hated herself when it came to those times. Raven wanted, no, strived to do what is right, but, in times like these, right and wrong is not always so clearly separated as black and white.

The pale teenage girl took one more deep breath before everyone was enveloped in the shadows and began to move slowly toward the school…

**linelinelinelinelineline**

"Turn a little more east," commanded Cyborg, pointing vaguely to the right, while sitting on top of a pterodactyl version of Beast Boy. The green dinosaur changed his direction, followed by Starfire carrying a perturbed Robin, which is not saying much because he is pretty much always perturbed.

"How much further?" called Robin over the wind.

"Just a few more miles," Cyborg yelled back after validating with his sensors. Several minutes of silence followed. The group was rather solemn with the current situation. They were all very worried about losing one of their own. None of them really knew what they were up against.

_'I know exactly what she's going threw,'_ thought Robin to himself. He, himself, had experienced what it was like to have ones friends' lives be on ransom by a villain. At one time he had to choose between crime and his friends' lives and he knew how hard it was.

"We should begin to descend," shouted Cyborg to his airborne friends, freeing Robin from his reflections.

The group landed in a clearing of a rather creepy looking forest. Any of the sparse vegetation on the ground was a sickly brown. The gray trees were twisted in odd ways and cast strange and scary shadows on the packed dirt beneath their feet. The group uneasily moved forward silently in the direction Cyborg led them. The forest let off a great feeling of foreboding danger. Occasionally when a bird screeched without warning the whole group seemed to flinch.

Cyborg stopped walking, "This is approximately where Raven's signal went off." The Titans looked around as expecting to see something tell them what to do next. Robin squatted down to the ground.

"Cy, can I get some light?" suddenly the dank woods were filled with welcomed brightness. "Look," said Robin while pointing in front of them threw some broken underbrush, "Footprints." The others squinted their eyes to see the barely visible tracks on the dusty ground.

The incomplete team continued slowly, this time with Robin, who frequently stopped and checked they were following the right path, in the lead. He was followed by Cyborg, who provided the light easily over their leaders head. Star floated behind them anxiously, adding to the light of Cyborg's and the moon with a Starbolt alight in her hand. Beast Boy followed more slowly behind the others in the shadows. His eyes were tuned to his surroundings. The forest gave him an ominous feeling, so he kept his ears adjusted to nature, hoping that an animal did not sneak up on them…again.

**linelinelinelinelineline**

Harry Potter was having a very bad day, even by his standards. First of all he had awoken late thus missing breakfast and being tardy for his Transfiguration Class. After losing five points for his house, he realized he had left his transfiguration book in his dormitory and had to share Ron's.

In his next class, he had forgotten to study and bombed his quiz. The day did not get any better after that. Harry got sick at lunch and Hermione insisted that he go to the hospital wing, but on the way he met Peeves. After that he felt even worse. So her he was at diner, on edge, just waiting to go to bed and for this terrible day to be finished. So as he picked at his desert thinking that day could not possibly get any worse it did.

With his black robes billowing behind him, Professor Snape rushed up the center aisle of the Great Hall to the faculty table. He had just received horrible news, and he had to tell Dumbledore, who knew some of it already.

He was almost out of breath from running the castle by the time he reached the Headmaster, "Their coming…tonight…now!" The teachers looked anxiously at each other; they had been dreading this for a long time now.

Dumbledore began to speak, "We have to send the students back to their dor-."  
He was interrupted by the Potions Master, "There is no time. I have just received word that they are attacking tonight. They'll be here at anytime. We can't risk having the students in the cross fire." Dumbledore nodded and stood to make an announcement. The whole hall went instantly quiet.

Harry had watched the exchange carefully from his seat. He could tell from the dark expressions on the teachers' faces, that it was nothing good. In fact it was the exact opposite. His worst fears were confirmed when Dumbledore spoke, "Will all the faculty and ghosts please make their way to the Entrance Hall. Students, please remain here for your own safety. I am sorry to tell you that the castle is being attacked," worried talking instantly filled the room, but Dumbledore continued over it, "Prefects and Head Boy and Girl are in charge."

The room was in a stunned silence until the door and closed and locked behind their esteemed Headmaster. But when they heard the click of the locked that hall broke into havoc. Ron and Hermione glanced at Harry, waiting for him to say something.

Harry looked seriously at the two who were sitting across from him. He knew this was coming for a long time, even though he would have never admitted it.

"Get the D.A. together. The teachers are gonna need some help," said Harry. Ron and Hermione began to rise, but Hermione was struck with a sudden thought.

"But Dumbledore locked the door."

"Not that door," replied Harry, nodding at the door behind the staff table. They all got up from the table and spread throughout the room. Hermione informed her fellow Gryffindor D.A. members of the plan. Ron went over to the Hufflepuff table whispering to Hannah, Ernie, Justin, and the others about the plan. Harry rounded up the Ravenclaws. In the residing chaos no one noticed the group slipping out.

As the door closed behind the last person, they attention immediately turned to Harry. The group looked at him with anticipation. Truthfully, Harry was not prepared for this and now everyone was looking to him for directions and for leadership. He stood their stunned and silent for a moment. An idea came to him.

"Er- okay. Hufflepuffs, go out this door and take the long way to get at the top of the staircase and balcony above the entrance hall. Fire your spells down from their, but hide behind the banister. Use some charms to disguise yourselves." They group of Hufflepuffs nodded and left threw the door. "Ravenclaws, take the passage way behind the tapestry just down the hall, it will lead you to the opposite side of the entrance hall. A few you can hide behind the tapestry on the other side, the others can hide behind suits of armor. Gryffindors, come with me."

The two other groups left the room quickly and quietly and made their way in different directions. Harry led the Gryffindors down the corridor to the side opposite of were the Ravenclaws would be hiding. Harry put a hand out to stop the others. He snuck down the rest of the hallway and looked around the corner. The teachers were waiting and pacing anxiously, but all their attention was drawn to the door in front of them.

Harry beckoned the group behind him forward. He and Hermione used a spell to make themselves and the other students semi-camouflaged. They were sent out in groups of two, hiding behind tapestries, statues, suits of armor and even in a broom closet. Harry and Hermione were the last two behind the wall.

"Come on," said The-Boy-Who-Lived, "Were going behind the armor closest to the door." The two set off at a quick jog, ducking behind statues were others were hiding along the way. Soon they were crouched behind the base of the suit of armor with baited breath…and not a moment to soon.

Barely a minute after Harry and Hermione became situated did a black aurora raised from the floor and filled the front of the entrance hall. It was nothing like anything that Harry had ever seen before and, judging by her expression, the same went for Hermione. All the sudden the corridor was filled with Death Eaters being lead by Voldemort. Spells, curses, and jinxes began to fly.

Even though the sides were equally matched in numbers, and the D.A. had the surprise attack on their side, their opponents had the obvious advantage. The same black shadow they had entered in was now providing a shield from spells. Harry observed the battle field, wondering what sort of power could do such a thing. His eyes locked on a girl, around the same age as him, standing in the back of the Death Eaters. She was wearing a navy blue cloak and a black leotard, but her face was obscured by a hood. Her hands were held out in front of her as if she was controlling something, and Harry had a crude idea what.

" 'Mione, cover me."

"Harry, Wha-," was all she got to ask before Harry slide out or behind his hiding place, on his side so her could get clear shot. He raised his wand, "STUPIFY!"


	14. hospital wing

**AKI-** Thanks for the reviews. Here is the long awaited next chapter. Hope you like. Hint: when you finish reading, leave a review!

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**Chapter 14**

**Hospital Wing**

The four Titans walked through the forest into the early hours of the morning. Robin checked less and less frequently to see if they were on the right path. The others were walking (or floating in Starfire's case) with hunched shoulders, half-lidded eyes, and yawned numerous times every few minutes. The incomplete team was very tired and obviously wanted nothing better than to lie down in the bumpy forest floor and sleep for a day or two. The only thing that kept them going was the hope of Raven being nearby.

They were nearly ready to give up. To drop dead on their feet as they walked. But that was before they reached the clearing. The trees opened up and the forest finally ended and what they saw threw the gap of the trees took their breath away.

**linelinelinelinelineline**

Raven groaned as a sliver of consciousness was granted to her. She had a pounding headache and she wished nothing more than to slip back into blissful sleep. She opened her eyes a slit and waited as they focused on the ceiling. It was high vaulted ceiling filled with bright morning light. _This wasn't her room._ She noticed that her bed was also unfamiliar. Why was she not in her room? Her room had a low ceiling, was dark at all times of the day and night, and her bed was big and round and the mattress was a bit stiffer.

Raven closed her eyes and turned her head to the side on a flat pillow, moaning with effort. She saw threw the gap of the portable curtains that surrounded her bed a large, empty room filled with empty, neatly made beds with starch white sheets and pillows. It looked like a hospital room, but had a distinct medieval quality to it. Maybe it was because of the ancient wooden door that stood ajar on the far end of the room or the tall iron rimmed windows that arched at the top.

The lone Teen Titan did not have a clue were she was, until the memories of the last few days, especially the last night, came rushing into her already pounding head. She remembered having to conjure shields for those evil, evil men and all the spells that had flown between the groups of wizards and witches. Then Raven recalled the feeling of one of those spells hitting her. Her whole body had seized up, blackness covered her eyes and unconsciousness took over her mind, but that did not answer the question of where she was. Was she in the school?

Raven closed her eyes again and tried to fall into nothingness, but it was hard with her head hammering so badly. She could hear birds twittering, almost to the Goth's annoyance, outside threw the window panes; she also heard footsteps…and voices? Muffled, distant voices that Raven could not hear distinct words. As time slowly progressed the voices became louder and clearer, Raven assumed they were coming from past the door, and she could catch snippets of the conversation.

"So you are saying, Severus," said a male, questioning tone, "That when you went back after the attack that the captives were missing and that Voldemort has not found them of late?"

"That is correct, Headmaster," answered another male voice, but it was smoother and a little…creepy. It continued, "The Dark Lord was furious. First his attack was foiled; he lost the girl, and then the captives." The footsteps and voices stopped outside the door.

Raven's mind was racing as she tried to piece together the puzzle of what she had missed. The Dark Lord's, Voldemort's, attack did not work and her friends were out. She could not believe how well things were turning out for her.

One of the two men began speaking again, "Excuse me, Headmaster, but I need to get to my first lesson."

"Oh, yes of course. I will just be checking in on our patient." The door to infirmary opened to admit a man, who in Raven's opinion looked like he stepped out of a picture in a child's story book. He had long silver-white beard and hair that was long enough to be tucked into his belt, black leather boots, and perched on his head was a tall pointed hat that matched his scarlet red robes that seemed to be made of silk or satin. He walked out of view of the gap on Raven's bed curtains and knocked on a door on the side wall that Raven was unable to see, but she heard creaky hinges of a door swinging open and a brisk woman's voice answer the man's morning greeting.

"Morning, Poppy. Have you checked on her yet?"

"Not yet this morning, but I was just about to," she said tersely, but then soften in tone and in volume, "The poor dear, what she must have been through, if the rumors are true."

"It is sad what Voldemort will do for power, even blackmail children to do evil for him."

"Yes, yes," answered the woman, _Poppy_. Though Raven did not see it, the nurse had shuddered at the name of You-Know-Who. The Titan pushed herself up on her elbows heard swift approaching footsteps before her privacy curtain was torn aside by a middle-aged woman.

"Good, you're awake," she commented, back in her cute tone. As far as Raven could figure, she was not in trouble. The woman began setting things that were held precariously in her arms on the small bedside table rather harder than necessary. She poured from a clear glass bottle an opal blue potion into a brass goblet and shoved it into Raven's hand. The woman bustled around, putting a hand to Raven's forehead to see if she had a temperature. The old gentleman stood bemused in the distant waiting patiently. After the woman was sure Raven had not contracted a fever she stood up straight.

"It's not poison," she commented at the untouched goblet. Raven brought the goblet to her lips; she could feel the magic coming from it. She downed it one gulp, it had a sickly sweet taste, but the moment she swallowed it the throbbing in her head vanished and her achy muscles felt as good as new.

"You might feel well now, but there is no medicine like bed-rest," she said to Raven and added to the man in the distance, "Please don't distress my patient for once, Dumbledore."

"Don't worry Poppy, I won't let her out of bed," the man called Dumbledore answered the woman called Poppy how looked like she did not believe him for a second, but nevertheless went through the side door she came from.

The old man approached Raven's bed, hands firmly clasped behind his back, whistling quietly, while standing adamantly out the window. Raven scrutinized him with her purple eyes as her approached.

"Ah, Madam Pomfrey, our school nurse," he commented gesturing toward the door the woman had exited through a few seconds previous, "She has always been a little, shall I say, over-protective. Not that there is anything wrong with that of course."

Raven was not sure if the elderly man was expecting an answer or if the casual comment was rhetorical. She sufficed with a small nod. The man store momentarily out the window, as though giving Raven intentional time to get her thoughts together before he continued.

"Oh, forgive me for not introducing myself right away; I was just admiring what a fine day it is." Raven spared half a glance out the window next to her bed before her eyes flickered back to the man at her bedside. "I am Professor Dumbledore, Headmaster of this school," he said cheerfully.

'_So, this is the top dog,'_ thought Raven. This is the person she had to answer to, before she opened her mouth to even explain, he had held a hand up to stop her.

"It is quite alright. You were not in complete control of your actions, and because no permanent damage was done, I think I will forgive you," he said nonchalantly, but for the first time looking at her directly in the eyes. They were crystal blue eyes and Raven felt as they could see right through. Through all her troubles, pain, lies, and secrets, even the mask she was wearing now. Raven adverted her eyes.

"But, my friends," it came out sounding more vulnerable than she would have liked.

"As far my knowledge goes of late, they have somehow managed to sneak out of

Voldemort's capture. So, don't worry too much, my young Teen Titan, or Madam

Pomfrey will have me thrown out."

Raven did not comprehend what he said at first, but she did, she looked up at

him in surprise and could not help but grin slightly at his mischievous smile as she asked,

"How did you know?"

"What my adversary does not know that I frequently take time out of my day to

read Muggle newspapers. A few summers ago when I was vacationing in the States I read

an interesting article about some American _superheroes_. I have not been able to put them

down since. And if I am to believe the other Titans are as good and smart as the press

portrays them, I'd be pretty sure they are looking for you right now, and probably close."

Just then their conversation was interrupted by the swift pounding of approaching

footsteps and heavy breathing. Abruptly, the hospital wing's door was flung open and in

ran a girl with vivid red hair that looked like flame as it flared out behind her as she ran

and skidded to a stop in front of Dumbledore. She took a few deep breaths trying to be

able to speak. Raven noticed when she stood straight that she was a fairly tall, thin girl,

almost gangly, and could not be much younger than Raven. She was dressed in a robe

that had obviously black at one time, but was now a faded gray and had a crest

embroidered over her heart.

She began to speak in broken fragments, "Professor…I was in my Care…of

Magical Creatures Class…Hagrid sent me to get you…not in office…must have been

five minutes to find you… we found them…they found us, more like…"

"Calm down, Miss Weasley. Found who?" asked Dumbledore.

"Them, "she answered again, staring pointedly at Raven.

Dumbledore understood immediately…so did Raven.


	15. together again

**Chapter 15**

**Together Again**

(alternate title- Questions and Answers)

Raven made to get up from the bed, but Dumbledore put a hand on her shoulder

to stop her.

"Raven, I must insist that you stay here," he said. Raven could not believe her

ears. These were her friends they were talking about. She had not seen them for days

because they had been kidnapped and he had the nerve to tell her what to do! Why did

she have to listen to him anyway?

Dumbledore seemed to know what she was thinking. He lowered his voice to a calming level, looked Raven in the eyes, and he said, "I promise to bring them here as soon as possible. I just need to make sure this isn't a trick." Raven nodded reluctantly in agreement. "Plus," he added in a louder and more cheery voice, "Madam Pomfrey will have my head if I let you out of bed." With that the man began walking swiftly from the room with Raven's amethyst eyes following his exit, surprised at herself for actually following his orders. The red-headed girl, limped out slowly after clutching a stitch in her side, with one last glance at Raven before she closed the door behind her.

The bed-ridden Teen Titan sat up on her bed and put her legs over the side, but remained sitting, rather impatiently, as timed seemed to slow. It felt like hours, even days before she heard approaching footsteps coming up the adjoining corridor. All of the sudden Raven noticed her pounding heartbeat, sweaty palms, and her loud breathing. Why in hell was she so nervous? Was it because she was afraid that it had been all a trick? Or that her friends might even blame her for what happened? As her doubts surrounded her, time seemed to speed up, passing its normal rate and doubling. Before Raven even could suppress her negative thoughts the door at the end of the room opened and it was the best sight she had seen in a long time.

Before she realized what was happening, Raven was lifted off the ground into one of Starfire's infamous backbreaking hugs. "Friend Raven! How have you been? Are you well? Where have you been?"

Before Raven could answer even one of these questions, she heard a familiar voice say, "Let her breath, Star." Starfire let go and backed away a little absolutely beaming to reveal the speaker, Robin. He had a light grin on his face as they shook hands. "How are you?"

"I'm-, " Raven cut off. She was going to say 'I'm fine,' but somehow that did not seem right. Fine was a word people used all the time, it was so mundane, common-place, meaningless.

"Raven?" She was brought back to reality by Robin's inquisitive, slightly worried tone.

Raven looked him in the eye (or more like in the mask) and with a small, yet sincere smile she said, "I'm great." And she was. In fact, Raven was in such a good mood at that moment that she gave Cyborg a high five, which normally is a very rare occasion, and, if truth be told, had never happened before in her life. Out of all her greetings, Beast Boy was last.

He was standing oddly subdued at the back of the group. She approached him and they meet each others eyes, she gave him a rare grin before saying in a whisper to him, "Good job."

**linelinelinelinelineline**

Madam Pomfrey was rather put back when she discovered the _discord_ in her infirmary and had a good time scolding Dumbledore, who had watched the reunion from the doorway. A few minutes later she had gotten Raven back into bed and checked the others for any injury. Starfire was now sitting on the foot of Raven's bed, Beast Boy and Cyborg were sitting on the bed next to them, and Robin was on a wooden chair between the two and they were taking turns retelling their side of the story.

Beast Boy had now picked up again and as exuberantly describing their journey threw the forest to the school.

"When we reached the forest's end all we saw was this giant castle, but it looked all rundown and it was in ruins," Raven had to control herself from saying that they were pretty much the same thing, "And it had all these old wood signs saying like, 'ENTER AT YOUR OUR OWN RISK,'" continued Beast Boy. He went on telling her about how the went to sleep right about them with a slightly guilty look on his face and then how in the morning when they went out to look for her they found a whole group of kids at the edge of the forest by this hut with a 'giant.' "I mean he had to be like eight feet tall or something," said Beast Boy now standing up, on his tippy-toes, reaching his hand above his head for emphasis.

Around here Raven zoned out. Maybe it was from being tired, or all the excitement of the day, or the story was just not that interesting, but Raven knew it was something else. She looked at each of her friends in turn. Star was at the end of her bed, leaning back on her hands, looking genially interested in what Beast Boy was saying. Cyborg looked simply amused, while Robin seemed exasperated, yet that did not seem to matter at all. The good thing, no, the great thing, was they were all here, all together, and safe no matter how weird _here_ was at the moment. It was strange, because Raven remembered a time when she did not appreciate all these people were around for her. There were times when she frankly hated it inside, but now she could not remember how it felt to hate their presence and all of their unique personalities.

Raven's eyes fell back on Beast Boy as he finished his recounting of the story with Dumbledore coming down and tapping each of their heads in turn with a 'stick' and how the castle changed into a beautiful building.

Their _really_ unique personalities…

**linelinelinelinelineline**

The newly reunited group had a good time for a good part of the day. Raven remembered when Madam Pomfrey waved her wand and created a lunch of sandwiches for the teens, getting pure looks of amazement from four of the five to Raven's amusement, though she hide it. She had to say they were still a little shell shocked from the magic thing, but it was okay.

After lunch, Beast Boy conjured a deck of playing cards out of nowhere and attempted to impress everybody with some slight of hand, and only ended up amazing Starfire and the only good trick was where he got the cards in the first place. They spent the rest of the afternoon playing cards games which were really only fun to Raven because of Cyborg's and Beast Boy's over-determination to beat each other and Star's total confusion.

Dumbledore came along again that evening to check up on them and to conjure them dinner. As he was about to exit Raven stood up and followed him a little way from her friends, "Uh-Sir?" she asked not sure what to call him.

He turned around to face her, apparently not surprised at all, "Yes?"

"May I ask you a few questions?" Raven did not know why she was feeling such a need to be extra polite to this man, but his demeanor just seemed to demand respect.

"Of course you may, but I dare say you already asked one." (So I stole it from the _Sorcerer's Stone,_ so what?)

Raven was taken back for a second then asked, "I just wanted to know how do you know you can trust me? I mean…"

"You mean that you didn't make a very good first impression," he said seeming to think her question was slightly humorous. "I have several reasons. Firstly, let's just say I am an _extremely _excellent judge of character," his eyes sparkled as though he was hinting at something much bigger, that Raven could not possibly fathom. "I pretty much know when people are lying to me. Second, and maybe more importantly, so I trust you not to repeat it, I have a …let us say a spy."

Raven nodded solemnly.

"Anything else?"

"Yes…," Raven had wanted to know this since her friends had been kidnapped, and she thought she knew the answer, she just needed it confirmed, "Why me? Why did –Voldemort want me?"

Dumbledore raised as bushy eyebrow, "I believed you would have figured it out by now."

"I have an idea…" returned Raven a little defensively.

"You are probably right. See, your brand of magic and our kind is different. Usually when different kinds meet, though most wizards naively deny that their other kinds, either do not effect each other at all, or cancel each other out, but it seems when our brand comes into contact with our brand it is canceled out, while yours stays, because it is dominant. Is that what you were thinking?"

Raven answered monotonously, "More or less."

The elderly wizard turned to leave when Ravens stopped him one last time, "Wait, one more thing?"

"Of course," he sad inquisitively as though he had predetermined what her other questions had been and this one came as a surprise.

Raven started a bit reluctantly, she had not been planning on asking this and she already regretted it, "Voldemort kept referring to himself as T.M.R. and said that is who he used to be. Do you know anything about it? I know it is not relevant, I was just curious…" Raven was feeling a bit stupid.

"Oh, Tom," Dumbledore said shaking his head more to himself than to Raven, before snapping back to the present. "T.M.R. You see, Tom Marvolo Riddle was what Voldemort used to be called. He has long changed from that…Is that all?"

"Oh, yes," said Raven who was mulling over this new information. Dumbledore turned and left the room. Raven went back to her bed and enjoyed a dinner with her friends.


	16. guides

AKI- Wow this chapter is like a half of page longer than my usual ones. Hope you like it, because I put it up in a timely manner too. I am going on vacation for a week so I do not know when the next chapter will be up because I will have not computer! I will not be able to write, let alone update. :( (sorry)

**Chapter 16**

**Guides **

Dumbledore sat down in his office and leaned back in his thrown like chair mulling over the announcement he had made at diner addressing the several teenagers that were currently abiding in Hogwarts' infirmary. The students did not really _need _to know, but the rumors that spread…well, the headmaster thought it would be best to clear them up if he was going to let the visitors wander around the school a bit. It had been a busy, scary, hectic week. Not to mention that Voldemort was still on the rise and madder than ever at his big loss, madder in both senses.

There was a quite knock on the door.

"Enter," said Dumbledore sitting up straight and he knew who was their entered the room.

"Professor, I was told you wanted to speak with me?" stated Harry after closing the door behind him.

"Ah, yes. Please sit down," Dumbledore said gesturing to a lone empty chair sitting in front on his desk.

Harry crossed the room and sat down, waiting patiently for Dumbledore to say something. After a minute of silence, Harry realized that the headmaster was deep in thought, something that happened more often recently, and probably needed some prompting

"Sir?"

"Yes," answered Dumbledore distractedly as he was looking threw some parchments that littered his usually neat desk.

"You wanted to talk to me about something?" replied Harry, slightly amused and slightly annoyed at the same time.

"Oh, yes, sorry. Just was finish reading his letter from the ministry," he explained, tucking the letter aside before taking a deep breath and beginning. "As you know we have recently acquired the presence of five teenagers from America," Harry nodded silently, Dumbledore continued, "Doubtlessly you have heard numberless rumors about them, but I have no hesitation to think you and your friends have come up with your own ideas on the matter."

"Yes, sir," The-Boy-Who-Lived replied, thankful to be getting to the heart of the matter.

"They have spent the last day or two in the hospital wing, but seeing as they are all in good health it would not be fair to keep them locked up their when they have this once in a life time opportunity to enjoy Hogwarts-"

"But, sir," interrupted Harry, "That one girl, she was helping Voldemort. How can you trust her and just let her-," Dumbledore put out a hand to stop Harry in his question.

"Harry, I must beg you not to judge to quickly, for their a few things I did not revel to the general populace. The girl you speak of, Raven's her name, was forced to do Voldemort's bidding against her will."

"How was she forced?" Harry demanded but Dumbledore ignored him and continued as though Harry had not even asked a question.

"I assure you she is not a Death Eater nor are any of her friends. They are not allied with Lord Voldemort in any way."

Harry was not happy with the answer, he felt as if Dumbledore was holding some information back from him. Still he grumpily gave Dumbledore the benefit of the doubt, as Hermione said all the time, if they could not trust Dumbledore they couldn't trust anyone.

"Now," began Dumbledore again who had been silent for a moment in order to let Harry organize his thoughts, "To the reason why I called you up here. I can't very well let them wander all around the school by themselves. They could get lost, or run into some, let's just call them, disagreeable crowds." Harry smiled slightly at this thinking about who qualified as _disagreeable_.

"Do you see my predicament?" Dumbledore said humorously, continuing without getting an answer. "So I of course I knew instantly that they would need a guide and I did not want to burden an already busy teacher so…"

"You want me to be their guide?"

"Well, yes, you, Mr. Weasley, Miss Granger and I suppose Miss Weasley too, if you have need of it. Can I trust you to inform them?"

Harry nodded.

"Good! Now, as tomorrow is Saturday, will you please meet me at the Hospital wing shortly after breakfast at nine-thirty sharp to meet them?"

A silence followed, "Um, sir? Can I go now?"

"Of course," Harry got up and after he exited the headmaster's office he headed straight for the Gryffindor common room. He had some things to talk over with Hermione, Ron, and Ginny.

**linelinelinelinelineline**

Raven turned in the unfamiliar hospital bed. No matter how long she had laid here, she could not just get used to it. The room was dark. The little illumination came from the lingering moon outside the window. Raven wanted to laugh as she looked at the awkward way Starfire was sleeping in the bed next to hers. Madam Pomfrey had moved some of those portable curtains to create to separate rooms for the boys and the girls. She smiled numbly at the thought of the boys when she saw them in matching blue and white, pinstripe pajamas. She had never really seen them in anything else but their colorful uniforms. Of course it had been the boys turn to laugh when they saw the slightly lacey nightdresses Madam Pomfrey was trying to get Starfire and Raven to wear. Star had been all too willing, but Raven managed to stop her and convince the nurse to give the girls the same shirt and pants pj's as the boys had.

Raven sighed. She attempted to clear her mind of these annoying memories and get some sleep. She concentrated on the silence around her, but all could be heard was the occasional hoot of an owl from through the window, Starfire's light breathing and what suspiciously sounded like Beast Boy's snoring, past the curtain.

This day had be a good day and even Raven, who was probably the Queen of Pessimist and the Supreme Overlord of Apathy, could not deny it. She was out of the Dark Lord's clutches; her friends were safe, she was safe, no real harm had been done, yet…what was this damn feeling of foreboding. What was this ominous cloud hanging over her happiness? Was it because this was too perfect to last? That it was too good to be true?

Raven turned over again to face the ceiling. She was determined that this ill-omened feeling was the effect of lack of sleep and that she would be cured of it when the morning came. She sighed again and closed her eyes, resolute to get some sleep. Everything would be better in the morning she convinced herself, but she did not really believe it. Just hopefully tomorrow she would not be stuck in this darn infirmary all day…

**linelinelinelinelineline**

The next day dawned beautifully. The sun had come up in an array of gold and pinks and now drifted dutifully up in the baby blue sky that was decorated with several feather-light, wispy clouds that flouted merrily by in the light breeze. The leaves were ruby red, sunlight yellow, or copper orange as they clung to the trees or mingled with the others as they fell graceful to the ground only to be picked up by the wind again, twirled around in a collection of warm colors, before resting on the fading green grass again. It was in short a perfect autumn day, as Hermione would put it, or as Harry, Ron, and Ginny would put it, a perfect day for Quidditch. Yet it seemed that fate was against the three for that they would not enjoy this day flying around on the Quidditch Pitch, playing a minimized game of their favorite sport, but rather show a group of _superheroes_ around the castle. Not that that was not exciting in itself, but oh, well…to that three, a day without Quidditch is a day lost.

Harry, Ron, and Ginny were being hurried along the corridor to the Hospital Wing by Hermione who was fretting over their tardiness. She looked at her watch to check the time for the umpteenth time as though hoping she had read it wrong the time before or that it would go backwards.

"I just cannot believe I overslept this morning. I mean we are already running five minutes late. Dumbledore told us to be there at nine thirty sharp. If I had not rushed you out of breakfast….you guys would have not even remembered!"

"Calm down, Hermione," said Ron from behind her with a half grin, sounded slightly exasperated at her behavior, but more so amused. Hermione ignored him as if he had not spoken and continued rambling on about this could hurt her chances at Head Girl, even though her grades for that were not _nearly _good enough to be Head Girl anyway and that better would be expected of a prefect and that she was casting a poor reflection on Gryffindor and as a Hogwarts' student in general. Ron rolled his eyes behind her back, at looked at Harry, who bit back a laugh, half at Hermione's worries and half at Ron's expression. Ginny was already stifling giggles as she walked behind the two boys.

As they reached the door to the infirmary, they saw Dumbledore stepping out of it and closing it.

"We're here Professor," said Hermione as they approached.

"Ah, good," he replied warmly to her. "They are just finishing up breakfasting and changing." He opened the door a crack to peer in, "Okay, they're ready" Dumbledore opened the door fully and ushered the four Hogwarts students in, who were meet with the strangest looking group (and they would soon learn they were more than just strange looking) teenagers they had ever seen, which is saying something, as abovementioned, they were _Hogwarts_ students.

Their was five of them, three guys and two girls, four of them wearing borrowed Hogwarts uniform robes over a peculiar array of clothes. One of the boys was who seemed to be half African American and half robot, he was rather tall and buff, and though intimidating at first glance, seemed like a nice, fun guy after the look of his friendly face. Another was shorter and slightly thin, and black spiky hair, a mask, and what embarrassingly what looked like a skin tight, red and green jumpsuit on under his robes. The last boy was probably the most peculiar, he was the shortest of the bunch, even out of the girls, but what was outstanding about him was his solid green skin, eyes, and hair.

The girls were a different story and the first one looked mostly normal. She was tall and thin and had long red hair and large, happy green eyes, but was wearing under her robes matching light purple, almost lilac, miniskirt, midriff shirt, and boots. The last was the girl Harry remembered from not two days ago. She was the only one not wearing Hogwarts robes, but rather the clothes she came in, which was a black leotard underneath a navy blue cloak and though her could not see it under her up drawn hood, purple hair, gray skin, and mauve eyes.

Harry was only half listening as Dumbledore told the other teenagers that Harry, Ginny, Ron, and Hermione would be their guides blah, blah blah…Dumbledore left the group in silence.

For the first time Harry released how nervous and uneasy the five very strange teenagers seemed. No matter how weird the looked on the outside, Hogwarts must be a thousand times weirder. He broke the silence with a nice grin and saying, "Hi, I'm Harry…"


	17. of quidditch and libraries

**Chapter 17**

**Of Quidditch and Libraries**

Harry soon learned that these five teens were more awkward than just their appearance because that was just were it started, next came their names, if you could call them that. Harry already knew Raven, but sadly that was the most regular name collectively. The tall, African American, robot, was called Cyborg. The green boy referred to himself as Beast Boy. The red-head girl, who before seemed the most normal, was named Starfire. Now last was Robin, which would be a pretty normal name, but Harry could just not get over the mask. The scary thing was that this group seemed just as fascinated with Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny as they were with them.

The introductions went over pretty smoothly and now the Hogwarts student were leading the Teen Titans down various hallways and showing them the sights. Hermione was leading quite confidently, talking nonstop like a tour guide, spouting out more knowledge and history about every painting, statue, suit of armor, room, or corridor than Harry would ever care to know or know existed.

Four of them, Starfire, Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Robin, seemed very interested in what they were seeing. They were the perfect captive audience for Hermione, even though they did not catch or understand half of what she said. They would ooh and ah over the moving portraits, crazy statues, or pretty architecture that Hermione would stop to point out.

Ron seemed rather bored at the proceedings. Obviously, if he had his way, his kind of tour would be Great Hall, dormitory, Quidditch Pitch. Ginny was amusing herself in a different way. As Ron had tuned out everything Hermione was saying, Ginny jumped on the opportunity and was insulting him in strange, creative, and weird ways to his face without him realizing that she had even spoke.

Harry was having half an enjoyable time. He was quite amused at the America teens' reactions to everything, reminding him slightly of his first year at the castle he now called home. The half he did not enjoy mostly contained one thing, Raven. Threw this whole trip so far, he kept Raven in the corner of his eye. He found it easy to trust the other four, but, though he tried to hold his judgment, he just did not trust Raven. In fact he did not even like her.

She walked several feet behind the rest of the group. Harry slowed his pace so he could get a closer look at her. She walked slowly, but maintained just close enough to her friends to not be questioned by her separation. He mouth was a straight line, almost a frown, as though she were upset, angry, or in deep thought. Most of the time she looked straight forward, only sparing half a glance at the things Hermione was talking about, before returned her gaze to the place before. For some reason this made Harry angry. It looked like she was too pompous to care what Hermione was saying or to arrogant to care.

Raven must have sensed Harry's gaze on her, because as they group stopped as a Hermione was showing another historical spot, Raven turned to look at him. Their eyes were locked for an intense second, before the both of them looked away. Harry speed up as the group started moving again as Ginny was telling Ron, who was not listening, that he looked like a diseased duck that got in the way of a poorly preformed Bat Bogey Hex.

What Harry had seen in that mere second had been uncanny. Raven's eyes had not been angry, arrogant, upset, or pompous. They had been more sullen, empty, and blank. Not as if she was under some sort of spell or mind control, but they were just closed off like an internal, self-built wall was behind them, keeping others out.

Harry was not sure what disturbed him more. That she was hiding something or that she had the power to. Yet one thing was sure, he would be keeping close eye on Raven from now on.

Soon Harry found himself and the group traveling at down a more familiar corridor before Hermione stopped at the door of which Harry decided must be her favorite room in the whole castle, the library.

"The Hogwarts Library dates back to the creation of the school over some thousand years ago, and at the time only contained a little over one hundred books, but now is the single most largest wizarding library for historical and resourceful archives in Great Britain," Hermione said in one breath. "Shall we take a closer look," but before Hermione could lead them all to their doom in the library, Ron intervened.

"Hermione, maybe we should show them the grounds," said Ron in hopes of getting out of their.

Hermione looked crestfallen but agreed at the looks of hope on their guests' faces, "Okay, but I was hoping of getting some homework done while we were here."

"Hermione, it's still Saturday morning. We have all weekend to do homework!" exclaimed Ron

Hermione huffed, "You always say that and you know what happens, you spend at Sunday inside working."

"We need to show them outside, 'Mione," complained Ron.

"Yeah, and we can show them Quidditch too!" added Ginny. There was a murmur of agreement from Harry and Ron, while the titans, or at least four of them, were wondering in anticipation what Quidditch was.

"Okay, take them outside," said Hermione in resignation, "But I'm going to stay here and do homework so when you are stuck inside all tomorrow doing work, don't say I didn't tell you."

Ron just rolled his eyes before taking charge of the group and preparing to lead them away, toward the dormitory, so himself, Ginny, and Harry could get their brooms.

"I'm going to stay here too," said Raven out of the sudden before the others could get very far. Harry was taken back for several reasons. He had realized just then, that was the first time he had heard Raven speak. Her voice was just as disconcerting as her eyes. Her voice was practically monotone. It was emotionless, empty as her eyes.

Harry became hesitant, he was already breaking his vow to keep an eye on the mysterious girl if he left her here, but it would be really suspicious if he stayed. Yet, the library was a public place and Hermione and Madam Pince and some other students (doubtfully) would be their, so Raven would not do anything incriminating and if she did Hermione would tell him. Plus, Harry did not want to stay cooped up in the library with Hermione on a day like this. It was prime Quidditch conditions.

Harry watched as Robin asked if she was sure, and she simply nodded in return. He dropped it, but Harry noticed Beast Boy rolling his eyes. Harry filed it away to ask him about later if he had the chance.

Before he knew, they were on their way and Starfire squealed in glee and anticipation before exclaiming, "I can not wait to see the Ditch of Quid!"

It was going to be a long day.

**linelinelinelinelineline**

Raven followed Hermione in the library. The Hogwarts girl pulled a piece of parchment out of her bag that Raven had not noticed earlier, consulted it, and then went in pursuit of a book. Raven was slower. First she stopped and observed her surroundings. It was old, yet charming like the rest of the castle. The room contained tall, wooden book cases that were filled up to the high ceiling. The only thing in the room other than these lined up cases were an assortment of tables, chairs, and desks in the center for ones to read and work at.

As was true with most old libraries, and Raven knew it, the best things wear usually in the back, tucked away in a corner. She walked steadily to the back until she reached a rope tried a few feet above the floor across the library \, splitting apart a section of cases in the back. She looked at it quizzically.

"That is the Restricted Section," commented Hermione, seeing Raven's questioning look after coming out of an aisle with an armload of books. "You need permission to get something from there," she added after putting the books down on a table.

Raven nodded in understanding before turning down the last row to her left, in front of the rope, and taking down her hood. The books here seemed worn and old, yet less used judging by the dust laying on them. Raven let her fingers trace the spines on the books of a low shelf as she walked. As she reached the wall, she began scanning titles. Most were unrecognizable, some jogged her memory as though she had heard of it before, but could not place it, and a few were familiar, but none had she ever read before. She eyes lingered on a tired, leather bound book. She pulled it off the shelf. The cover was unmarked and unlabeled. She opened it curiously to the first page and gasped.

"Find anything interesting?" asked Hermione who entered the aisle as she was done searching for books."

Raven held the book up so she could see it, and added, "It's the Journal of Merlin. I thought it was just myth. I had been searching everywhere since I finished the Apacien Scrolls."

It was Hermione's turn to gasp. "You've read the Apacien Scrolls?" Hermione asked incredulously.

"More than read them. I own them," answered Raven with a slight smile, glad to find someone to relate to, "Their back home…" Raven trailed off, the smile slide off her face. She suddenly felt sad. Her hand instinctively went to her hood, but before she could pull it up Hermione said something.

"Do you miss it?" she asked, "Your home?"

"Raven nodded, looking at the floor, wondering why she was unexpectedly emotional, and in front of a stranger too. "Yeah, I miss it a lot. Even though it has been barely a week since I have been gone. I have only lived there for a few years, but it the only place I have ever lived that I actually called _home_." She looked up to see Hermione looking at her knowingly. "I don't why I'm telling you this," Raven added as she hid the emotion that had somehow slipped into her voice.

"It's okay. I know what it is like. I only started coming here to school since I was eleven, almost twelve and I consider this as big or bigger home than with my parents. My friends are as much family to me as my real relations. Do you know what I mean?"

Raven measured Hermione up and instantly realized she liked her. Sure she was a little obsessive, but everyone has their like quirks. She was honest, nice, open, caring and liked to help others and knew just what to say. Raven almost wished she was like her because she hid everything, hurt the people she loved, and practically never knew what to say.

_My friends are as much family to me as my real relations. _ Hermione ad said. Raven thought of Titan Tower and of Robin, Starfire, Cyborg, and Beast Boy and wanted to smile. Then she thought of her horrible father and her gone mother.

Finally Raven added, "I know exactly what you mean."


	18. lunch time quarrels

**Aki-**I live! I am so sorry I have not updated in forever and I know how it feels to wait for chapters, but school started and field hockey and dance lessons and it just all piled up. Anyway I just saw this really good movie. It's called _Hangman's Curse, _it is a scary, suspense, mystery. It s really good.

**Chapter 18**

**Lunch Time Quarrels **

Raven and Hermione had alternately talked and read for the next few hours, finding a common peace in their similarities and their differences. Raven found it awkward that she could open up to this girl. She barely knew her. It was crazy. It was completely opposite than what Raven was used to do. She was usually so closed off and distant, but right now, she was actually enjoying herself. Raven could never do anything like this with any of the Titans. None of them just liked to sit and talk and read.

The sun had risen properly now and no longer shined cruelly bright threw the windows. Raven was a good way through the journal of Merlin and also borrowed from the shelves _Hogwarts, A History_ for reference. Hermione had several piles of books stacked around while she ruffled through one, before reading a passages, then scribbling something down on a piece of parchment at a speed Raven had previously thought impossible.

Hermione sighed, "I'm finished my essay," she said more to herself than to Raven who was sitting across from her at the table, "though it is a half of a foot longer than Professor McGonagall asked for…" Hermione smiled sheepishly. She checked her watch. "And just in time for lunch," she said getting up, "Here," she said motioning for the books Raven was reading, "I'll check those out for you."

Hermione checked out the books with Madam Pince, before leading Raven to the Great Hall. Raven stopped at the doorway, the room was _stuffed_ with people, with students. Raven had not realized how many people had attended this school. Hundreds, maybe even a thousand. So she stood their, with wide eyes and mouth slightly gaped. She resisted the urge to pull her hood up, the urge to hide.

She had already caught the attention of several students near the back of the room. She did not know if she could take it, the stares, the whispers, the suspicion, the questions, and the whole room so full of emotions.

Hermione turned around when she realized that Raven was not following her. "Are you coming?" she asked.

"Yeah," answered Raven, at least she would have one friend in this room.

**linelinelinelinelineline**

Harry, Ron, Ginny, Robin, Beast Boy, Cyborg, and Starfire walked laughing in from the grounds into the castle. They were all a little short of breath, sweaty, and more than a bit hungry, but it was worth it. The three of them which were Hogwarts students had brooms over their shoulders.

"I didn't expect Quidditch to be a sport, I thought it was a place or something," said Robin.

"I wish I was a wizard just so I could fly on a broom," added Cy.

"Yeah, but Starfire, you sure gave us a shock when you started flying around on your own," chuckled Ginny. They all remembered, and it made them laugh again.

The mixed group walked in silence for a little while before the Gryffindors put their brooms away in the dorm.

"Let's go get some lunch guys," Harry stated, leading the two Weasley's and four Titans to the Great Hall. Despite all of Harry's naturally suspicious ways he could not help but trust Robin, Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Starfire. Sure they had their share of surprises, powers, and secrets, but, hell, this was Hogwarts, who did not? Plus, who was he, Harry, to judge them by what secret powers they might not share with him. First, he barely knew them, second, that would just be hypocrisy, and they did not know what he was able to do.

"Bet Raven will regret not seeing that," Beast Boy said little-heartedly, talking about Quidditch.

Suddenly all the fun and leisure was replaced by suspicion and anxiety in Harry. Raven had been in the back of his mind all day. She was so mysterious in a bad way. He could just not shack that feeling he had about her. It was a gut feeling and he trusted his gut, more than…anything.

They entered the Great Hall when lunch was already well under way. They went midway up the Gryffindor table to where their was a sizable gap around Hermione and Raven. Harry was about to thank Hermione for saving them all seats, but stopped himself when he noticed the anxious glances that the rest of the students were giving Raven and the other Titans and considered that the gap might be there for a different reason.

Both Raven and Hermione had just finished eating. The group filled in the seats around them and started serving themselves food and eating and making pleasant conversation. Beast Boy, mouth filled with vegetarian food, started telling Raven, exaggerating, what she had missed when she skipped Quidditch for the library. Raven just fixed him with a look of indifference before picking up a book from the bench beside her, opened it and began reading.

Beast Boy looked at her incredulously, swallowed his food, and leaned over and said to Cyborg and Ron, "I don't know how she does it, but she always manages to conjure up a book to read instead of listening to me."

The meal went pretty smoothly until a slim blond boy walked by them and intentionally accidentally hit Harry hard in the shoulder with his book bag as he swung it onto his shoulder.

Harry turned around on the bench to glare at him, "Watch where you're going, _Malfoy_."

"Ooh, Potter is that a threat," the blond replied mockingly.

"What do you want?" said Harry aggressively,

"Manners, Potter. I just wanted to comment on these," his eyes scanned over Robin, Cyborg, Beast Boy, Starfire, and Raven, "I never thought I'd see the day, filthy muggles at Hogwarts, but, of course, with Dumbledore as Headmaster I should have expected as much."

Harry's expression was of pure rage, Ginny and Cyborg had to hold back Ron from jumping on Malfoy, the rest of the Titans were rather confused at the proceedings, but knew that they were the target, Raven just sat their, legs crossed, never even looking up from her book, but listening intensely.

Hermione was the first to pull herself together and reply, "Okay Malfoy, you commented, now go."

Malfoy continued as if she had not even spoke, "I should have known Potter, that you would be the first to welcome them into your little club, savior of the world, befriender of mudbloods, weasels, and now muggles, can you sink any lo-,"

"Shut Up!"

"Struck a cord, did I. Of course, you probably haven't told them all the things you have done, the power you have, but that's alright, they probably haven't told you theirs either. We're all allowed to have our _dark_ secrets, our skeletons in the closet per say, but more like _demons_ in the closet."

Raven's eyes widened, but no one saw, it was the first reaction she had had to the whole conversation. She looked up at the boy for the first time and realized that he looked much like the blond Death Eater she had seen so much when she was in captivity. His son possibly? She knew his voice had sounded familiar, but couldn't place it before. It was pompous and smooth, accented in a rich and distinct manner.

His icy cold gray eyes met her purple ones for a brief second, he smirked slightly. He knew, but he wouldn't tell, would he? The smirk answered for him, he would, but he was too smart for that. He was just laying the ground work, the suspicion, the mystery. It was also flaunting his power to her, so she knew that he knew. That she knew that he could tell anyone at anytime. So that she knew that he had some power over her, some advantage. So that she knew that she was still a captive.

"What do you mean by that?" asked Harry. Malfoy just smiled wickedly and walked out of the Great Hall without a back glance to them.

They turned back to their half finished meal, "What was that all about?" asked Robin.

"That's what I want to know," grumbled Harry

"You shouldn't have listened to him, Harry. He is just trying to get a rise out of you," commented Hermione level-headed.

"He was just being a Slytherin," said Ron.

"A what?" Cyborg asked puzzled.

"Oh, I forgot you didn't know," said Hermione picking up on a needed explanation, "Hogwarts students are split into four houses named after the four founders of the school. Each house is known for something. Ravenclaw for being intelligent, Hufflepuff for being hard-workers, Gryffindor, the house we're in, for being brave, and Slytherin for being cunning or ambitious…

"Or pure evil," added Ron.

The Titans looked quizzically at him. Harry picked up, "Slytherins are know for being bullies in school, to be Death Eaters after it. Their parents are evil, they are evil, and their children will be evil. It is what you are condemned to in Slytherin."

"That's stereotypical," said Raven out of the blue, even surprising herself.

"What?" said Harry.

"I said," Raven started, speaking up, "That is very stereotypical. Its generalization, to say everyone ion Slytherin is evil."

"They are."

"I highly doubt that," she said, trying to end the conversation, but could not help but add, "It is also unfair to put a bully and a murder on the same level."

"But the bullies are the ones that grow up to be the murders."

"Not necessarily, can't you think of an exception," said Raven coolly.

"No," said Harry, but it wasn't true, his father and Sirius had bullied Snape in their own time, but he was not going to let _her_ win this debate, "I'm just saying that they were raised in certain way, their parents lives and values will reflect on them. The apple does not fall far from the tree. And Bulling is like a sign."

"Again, not necessarily," Raven said, getting agitated, "How can you judge someone by their parents, it's not fair. Plus, bulling is not a sign someone is going to be _evil_. It _is_ a sign that someone has a problem. It could be a cry for help or a sign of low self-esteem or insecurity. If they have to put others down to make themselves feel powerful." She did not know why she was defending Malfoy, maybe it was because she was really defending herself.

Harry just rolled his eyes.

"Don't you get it. You are wrong. Just admit it. You cannot judge someone by what their parents do when in fact you are the one forcing them to be the way they are."

"What!" exclaimed Harry exasperatedly.

"You say, they are is Syltherin, or whatever it's called, so their parents must be a Death Eater, they must be evil, and they will grow up to be a Death Eater."

"That might make sense in whatever perfect world you are from, but here if you are in Slytherin, you are evil, or at least, mean, it a law."

"I can't believe you. That is so-," Suddenly a glass was surrounded by a black aurora and shattered, the juice inside spreading swiftly over the table clothe.

Everyone stared at it, but only the Titans knowing where it came from. Raven couldn't believe she had lost control already, in front of everybody. She had not even noticed how angry she had gotten.

"I-I've gotta go," she said before fleeing the Great Hall with a hand on her head. The group watched her leave.

"It looks like you hit a sore spot," said Robin to Harry.

"Yeah, I thought I was the only person to make her that mad," said Beast Boy humorously.

"Why did she get so mad?" asked Harry confused.

The Titans glanced at each other anxiously before Robin spoke up, "We are not really at liberty to say. It's a personal thing."

"I really don't understand what I said that made her so mad."

"Again its personal, you would have to ask her."


	19. conversations and confrontations

Sorry I haven't updated. This was originally supposed to be a very long chapter, but because I wanted to update in this century I split it in half. Hope you like it and please review. Oh yeah, Cyborg is able to operate inside Hogwarts because Dumbledore put a spell on him that made him able to.

**Chapter 19**

**Conversations and Confrontations **

**Part 1**

Raven sat in a long dark aisle of books in the library. She was leaning against the bookcase, arms wrapped around her knees, chin resting on them. It was a very fetal, insecure position, yet she liked it. She sat their thinking, just thinking. Not meditating, she had already done that.

The sun was now lowering in the afternoon sky and leaking in the window, lighting up the area Raven sat. She heard footsteps approaching. And for some reason a smile ran on her lips. '_Figures,'_ she thought.

"Hey," said a voice from the end of the aisle. Raven did not have to look to know who it was, "I thought you would be here."

_'Took you long enough,'_ she said in her head, there was a silence.

"The only problem was I had to figure out were _here_ was," said Beast Boy sheepishly, scratching the back of his head, coming a little closer, "I swear that more than the paintings move around this place." Raven gave him a quizzical look. "I mean the rooms and the statues of armor. I couldn't recognize _anything. _You couldn't believe how long I was wandering around this place."

"I think I could," she said quietly.

Beast Boy sat down next to her and looked around, "Nice place you got here," he said appraisingly.

Raven looked directly at him, "Did you even come her for a reason?" she said sarcastically.

"Yeah," he replied as though it was the simplest thing in the world, "I came her for you." Raven became a little nervous at this answer. What did he mean?

"What about me?" she asked, trying to sound indifferent.

"I'm worried about you. We've been through a lot lately, and there is no denying it. You were so mad at lunch."

"I just needed to think," she said unemotionally. A moment of silence followed.

"He was wrong," Beast Boy said from nowhere.

"What?" said Raven, having not expected him.

"Harry, he was wrong about what he said."

"Glad you're on my side," he said mordantly.

"That is not what I meant," said Beast Boy.

"I know," replied the half-demon girl, showing weakness in her voice.

Another awkward silence followed, "You are not going to turn evil just because your father was."

Raven took an audible breath, "How do you know?" she said bitterly.

"What do you mean?"

"How do you know I am not going to become evil, I have already done horrible things and helped that _man_ do …," she sighed.

"You didn't have a choice Raven," Beast Boy said earnestly.

Raven scoffed at him, "You always have a choice," she said in a raspy, upset voice.

"You're right," said Beast Boy firmly, "You did have a choice. The one you made saved our lives. If you want to sit here and worry about what might have been of you had done something different. Fine! But here I am trying to help you and all you do is feel sorry for yourself and forget that you were not the only one to have to make a hard choices in the last few days," he finished forcefully.

Raven looked away from him, "Sorry…I forgot."

"Well, you shouldn't," he said calmly, "You make yourself miserable over little things. Remember, you are not alone."

_"When did he get so serious? When did he get so deep?" _thought Raven, "Thanks."

"So do you want to go find the others now?" Beast Boy asked as though nothing had happened.

"Give it five minutes," she answered coolly.

"Why?" replied the changeling, utterly perplexed.

Raven gave him a mockingly skeptical look and answered a though it were the

most obvious thing in the world, "To give them time to finish talking behind our backs."

**linelinelinelinelineline**

"Harry, can I speak to you?" asked Hermione in a forced calm voice. They, Ron

Ginny, and three of the Titans were hanging in the dorm after lunch.

"Uh, sure," he replied, having just lost to Ron at chess.

"Privately," she added.

"Okay," Harry answered unsure of what they needed to talk privately about.

Hermione lead him out of the dorm room into a nearby empty classroom, closing the

door behind them. The two stood in an uneasy silence.

"Sooo…" said Harry inquisitively.

Hermione turned her back to him, hands clasped behind her back, and walked

towards the window. She took a deep breath before exploding, "You Are So Tactless,"

she said, enunciating each word firmly and clearly.

Harry was surprised, "Wha-?"

"You," exclaimed Hermione again a little hysterically as she turned around to

face Harry, "Are tactless. You were so mean to her."

"Who?"

"Raven! You were such a jerk to her at lunch," said Hermione upset.

"Oh," said Harry finally figuring out what Hermione had been ranting about, "She

was the one that exploded, why are you yelling at me."

"Are you that dense! You're the one that pushed her over the edge. Did you not

notice how upset she was getting during your guys argument, on which you were wrong

by the way?"

"Er, no."

Hermione shook her head in dismay, calming down, "I know you did not believe like half

the things you were arguing for at lunch so why did you keep going."

"I don't know. I just couldn't let _her_ win. I just don't trust her like the others. She

seems so secretive and …," Harry trailed off arrr

"Guarded," offered Hermione.

"I was going for creepy, but sure."

"How can you judge her like that? You don't even know her?"

"And you do?" asked Harry skeptically, raising an eyebrow.

"Do, I don't, but I know her better than you do," Hermione paused.

"I'm listening," Harry said.

"When Raven and I were in the library together, we got to talking. I realized then,

that at the core, she was just a normal person, like us. Sure she has a dark, mysterious

side to her, but she doesn't? She has insecurities and secrets and quirks just like the rest

of us have. I know she had done some questionable things involving Voldemort, but we

don't know the whole story so don't be so quick to judge. And if I remember correctly,

we have done some questionable stuff before too," Hermione added with a grin, "Plus,

think of how many times you've been judged without others learning the truth first."

"I guess you're right," said Harry.

"Of course I am," replied Hermione teasingly, "So what are you going to do

about it?"

"I'll try not to judge her anymore, but I can't promise you that I can trust her."

"I guess I will have to live with that."

"I guess so." They both left the empty classroom and went back into the dorm,

one with a lot of their chest and one with a lot to think about.


	20. conversations & confrontations 2

**Aki-** Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, pauses for breath sorry, sorry, and sorry for not updating in forever and ever, but I think this chapter turned out really well, because I have been writing a lot lately, mainly my original story, so I think my skill and style have improved, more dialogue, some of its funny and Raven says something very sardonically hilarious at the end of this chapter so…R&R!

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 20**

**Conversations and Confrontations **

**Part 2**

Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Starfire, Robin, Cyborg, and some other

Gryffindors were hanging out in the Gryffindor common room. Harry and Hermione had

just reentered a few minutes ago. Harry was sitting alone in front of the fire. Robin, Star,

and Cyborg were chatting with Ginny and Ron. Hermione was working on some

homework, which was due in _two_ weeks. The portrait whole sudden swung open to reveal

Beast Boy who was shortly followed by Raven. The sound of conversation ebbed, not to

complete silence, but enough for Raven to notice. Some stared, some glanced uneasily,

some looked worried, the incident at lunch was still clearly fresh on their minds. That

fevering argument and the explosion of the juice glass was to much to forget. Hermione

jumped up when she saw Raven and rushed over to her.

"Here, let me show you were you're going to sleep tonight," said Hermione,

commandeering Raven and leaning out of the prying eyes of the common room to the

privacy of the girls dormitory.

Raven looked around, observing the room slowly. It seemed like a cozy place

thought Raven, shuddering at her use of the word cozy even if only in her thoughts. It

was a curved room that appeared to have two extra canopy beds asymmetrically in with

the three others as if they did not belong, and did not.

"Those are yours and Starfire's beds," said Hermione pointing to the two out of

place beds. Raven merely nodded in answer before sitting down on the edge of one of

them. Hermione followed her lead. They sat in silence for a moment.

"Are you okay?" Hermione suddenly asked.

"Hmm?" answered Raven, slightly put off by this sudden outburst.

"Are you okay?" repeated Hermione, "You kind of stormed out of lunch."

Raven gave her a look before replying, "Kind of or did?"

"Okay, you _did _storm out of lunch. So, are you okay? I hope Harry didn't upset

you too badly." Raven just shrugged in a noncommittal answer. "I mean, he's a good

person, he just doesn't trust people as easily as he once did. I can't blame him. I

wouldn't trust people either if I had had a live like his."

"A life like what?" asked Raven showing an unnatural curiosity.

"A life like…Harry's I guess. There is no other way to put it. To start his parents

where murdered when he was one year old…by Voldemort." Raven broke her eyes away

from Hermione's in thought and in shame. She noticed the pause before the bushy haired

girl had added that onto the sentence. Her tone was not accusatory, but rather curious. No

one had asked what happened while she was in the employ of the Dark Lord and she was

glad of it, but she knew it would come. Raven remained silent.

"He grew up, "continued Hermione after ample time to asses that Raven was not

going to answer, "For ten years, with his aunt and uncle, knowing nothing about them or

this world. Then he entered school here at age eleven and I swear there has been an

attempt on his life at least once every school year. So you see, people have tricked him,

lied to him, pretended to be his friends then betrayed him. He used to be so friendly and

innocent, but things change, he changed, but I am not sure if it is for better." A silence

ensued once more.

Raven had to comprehend what was being said, and realized that herself and

Harry were two of a kind. 'I don't trust people either,' thought Raven, 'I mean I trust the

Titans with my life, but not much else. Not my secrets or my feelings, I did not tell them

about the whole destined to destroy the world thing until I was practically forced to by

the situation.

"So please don't get to upset with him. Can you understand his situation?"

"I understand completely," answered Raven.

**linelinelinelinelineline**

Robin watched as Raven and Beast Boy reentered the common room and

Hermione whisking Raven away. Beast Boy came to sit with them.

"She okay?" asked Robin quietly.

Beast Boy nodded, "She just needed some time to chill."

"We all do, every now and then."

"Particularly Raven."

"Especially Raven."

"Amen." Beast Boy got involved I the conversation going on between Starfire,

Cyborg, Ginny, and Ron as Robin stole a glance at Harry sitting alone. He broke himself

free from the group and walked over to Harry.

He pointed to the seat next to him and asked, "Any one sitting their," even though

he knew very well no one was.

"No."

Robin sat down before asking Harry, "That fire is either really interesting or you

are thinking about something?"

Harry gave him a look as to say, 'Is this how all Americans start conversation?'

and replied, "Just thinking."

"Can I guess what?" questioned Robin

"Probably."

"Does it start with an 'R' and end with an 'Aven?'"

"Possibly."

"I'm not stupid-"

"I didn't say you were."

"- I can tell that there is some…friction between you and her."

Harry shrugged in answer.

"I just want to say that I have known her for years, and I don't care if you like her

or not, but you can trust her. I trust her with my life everyday and she has yet to fail me.

So, if you trust me, which I am pretty sure you do, you can trust her too. Raven's a hero,

and if the stories I've heard around here about you are true, so are you. And we hero's

need to stick together if we got any chance of stopping evil. You can trust her, she

wouldn't betray us, I swear."

Harry sat in silence for a moment before saying, "I know I can, I'm just finding it

hard to do."

**linelinelinelinelineline**

"When, my Lord!"

"Tomorrow night, you imbecile, I already said it once, don't make me repeat

myself again," said a tall, gray-skinned man with a snake-like face and red eyes.

"I heard you, Master, I was just shocked. So soon?"

"Are you questioning my plans?" asked a vindictive voice.

"No, Master," the other man replied swiftly, "I was just curious to

your…motives."

"Not that it is your business,"

"Of course not."

"But it will be perfect timing. We've attacked and failed and have been absent for

a few days, they have been lulled into a sense of safety, a foolish one. They'll never

expect it. We sneak in late at night, through the side entrance Avery noticed when we

were," Lord Voldemort paused for a moment before saying the next word with malice,

"fleeing. We hide, using their own tact against them, and wait till morning…," the Dark

Lord trailed off and an evil smirk lingered on his lips.

**linelinelinelinelineline**

Raven awoke with a start, sitting up in a scarlet curtained canopy bed. She looked

anxiously around the room, making sure she had not awoken any of the others. The three

Gryffindor girl and Starfire slept soundly.

Raven got quietly out of bed and closed the door to it slowly behind her while

wrapping a blanket she had stolen from bed around her to keep out the cold. She walked

down the stone steps to the common room, but their was already somebody their.

Harry turned around at the sounds of someone behind him. Raven stood their

nervously.

"S-sorry, I'll just…," she began to turn around to return upstairs, but Harry

stopped her.

"No, it's okay. Come, sit down," Harry said, trying to the let the conversation he

had with Hermione and Robin take some affect.

Raven slowly approached the coach where Harry was and sat on the far end. For a

moment they just stared at the dieing fire together.

"So I guess you couldn't sleep either?" said Rave conversationally.

"Yeah," answered Harry lightly, both obviously being very careful what they said,

"Bad dream. You?"

"Same," Raven simply, but her mind was reeling. It was a one in a million

chance. It was so unlikely, so crazy, but she had to know and so she asked.

"Dream…or vision?"

Harry turned his head to look at her curiously, "Why do you ask?"

"Because if it was the latter, I think we just had the same one."

"Voldemort?" asked Harry.

"And the attack?"

"Tomorrow?"

"Sounds like the one," Raven looked down and then leaned a little closer to Harry, "I know you do not like me much and, trust me, the feeling's mutual, but what are we going to do about this?"

* * *

Please review, even if it is just a few words, though preferably ones that form a sentence. 


	21. breaking rules together

**Aki- **Okay, I have had some questions about different ships. I'm not really going to

put any ships in this story, but you as the reader can interpret some friendship-y

things any way that pleases you.

**Chapter 21**

**Breaking Rules…Together**

"Ouch!" said a female voice out of a seemingly empty hallway.

"Shh..," came a quick response of another voice.

"Don't hush me," replied the first voice in an angry whisper "If you weren't so

clumsy and hadn't stepped on my foot for the millionth time, I won't have made any

noise."

"Stop talking or someone will hear us," a male voice hushed anxiously.

"Who? Who can possibly hear us in the middle of his deserted castle, I don't

understand why we have to be under this stupid thing. It's not like I'm a student with a

curfew."

"Fine, if you don't like it, walk on without it."

"Fine," said the girl, "I will," and she began to lift up a side of the invisibility

cloak she shared with a boy named Harry. He grabbed her arm to stop her.

"Don't do that or we'll be caught," Harry said as she dropped it.

"You said that if I didn't like it to go on with out it," replied Raven sharply.

"Well, I wasn't serious."

"Then why'd you say it."

"I didn't actually think you were gonna' do it."

"Well, you thought wrong." The both stared at each other nastily for a moment in

silence.

Harry regressed, "Look, Dumbledore's office is just around the corner. Can we

make till we get their without killing each other or being caught."

Raven sighed and said, "I'll be quiet as long you don't step on my foot again."

"Agreed," said Harry and they began to slowly move down the hall again.

"Damn it!" came a loud shout a few seconds later.

"Sorry…, I'm really am sorry this time…"

Raven growled under her breath and they began to move on again, "I swear, if

you're doing it on purpose…"

"Oh, look we're here," said Harry, interrupting Raven's thought in a voice that

was obviously covering up something.

Raven glared at Harry as he recited a password that he had used the last time he

had paid the headmaster a office visit, and mercifully, it had not been changed. The

gargoyle jumped aside to reveal the moving steps that Raven and Harry almost tripped

over each other getting on, but did soon take off the invisibility cloak as they road up the

steps to Dumbledore's office.

"Its twelve thirty," whispered Raven to Harry as they reached the door.

"Your point?"

"He's probably not awake…"

"So…?"

Raven rolled he eyes uncharacteristically at the boy, "We are either disturbing

him or he is not even there."

"Well we're just going to have to take are chances. This is too important to

wait for morning!" Raven agreed with him, but she was not going to give him the

pleasure of knowing so.

Before either of them could knock on the door it was opened to expose

Dumbledore, wide awake and dressed. He looked down on the two of them slightly

amused before saying, "Are you two going to argue out here all night, or would you like

to come in."

Raven and Harry looked at each other. Harry's expression clearly read, 'Ha, ha,

look who was right. Oh yeah, that's me.' Raven scowled at him, but they both followed

Dumbledore into his office and sat down in two chairs in front of his desk.

If it had been any other time but this, Raven would have doubtlessly been

interested, maybe even fascinated, by the objects, artifacts, books, and paintings that

filled the Headmaster's office, but it wasn't any other time.

Dumbledore sat back in his chair, steepled his fingers and looked deeply at the

two teens. He knew that the two had not been getting along, but yet here they were,

sneaking into his office after hours. It might have not been the best way Dumbledore saw

the Titans and the Hogwarts students bonding, but they were breaking rules _together_.

"You wanted to speak to me about something?" Dumbledore asked.

"Yes-," started Harry, but Raven interrupted.

"We had a dream," she said simply, cutting to the point.

"We?" question the headmaster curiously.

"We both had the same dream," Raven clarified, realizing how crazy it sounded

now that she sad it aloud.

Dumbledore simply nodded in response for them to continue, but Raven did not

know how to.

"It was like the dreams I had last year, Professor," put in Harry.

The wise wizard nodded in understanding, but Raven looked at Harry in surprise.

He had had dreams like this before! Why didn't he tell her? Oh yeah, because it sounds

crazy and we're not friends. It made sense now that she thought about it, that he so easily

accepted the dream was a vision. Most people wouldn't, or at least from Raven's

experience.

They told the headmaster all that was in the dream. He assured them that he

believed them and the proper steps would be taken and urged them to go back to bed. The

walked again under the invisibility cloak, but made it to the common room without any

feet stepping incidents.

Harry yawned bigly, "I'm so tired. I'm gonna' hit the sack."

"How can you sleep at a time like this?" said Raven indignantly.

"A time like what?"

Raven gapped at him, "A time like this!"

"Tell me something," said Harry, "The Death Eaters are attacking tomorrow

night, right?"

"Yes."

"Not tonight?"

"Correct."

"So, tonight, when the Death Eater's are not attacking, I am going to go sleep."

Raven scorned him, "You are unbelievable."

"Hey," said Harry defensively, "Dumbledore knows what he is doing. We can't

do anything about the attack tonight. In fact, the only thing we can do is get rested for

whatever is to come."

"You're probably right," sighed Raven in defeat, "But shouldn't you being

thinking up a plan…like the other time."

Harry looked at Raven seriously, "Maybe I should, but the teachers will be ready

this time. I can't spend my whole life worrying about it. I have come to death practically

every year since I came here. I learned my first year, worrying too much isn't going to

help anything, …but sleep is."

"Hey, I've danced with death too. I've fought the bad guys too. Neither of us

seem like the hero type, but tomorrow, when you are going to go out their and fight, like I

know you will, just know that I want to help…I brought that guy in here once, I am not

going to let it happen again."

Harry looked at Raven like he never had before, with respect. He had seem

something in her that he had never seen before. It was determination, determination to

win and rectify mistakes, and guilt, guilt for doing wrong. The walked hand-in-hand in

her eyes and in her speech. She had seemed so uncaring and apathetical before. Now he

saw it was a mask, a rather flimsy one once you recognized it.

"If…when I make some plan up, you'll be involved."

"Good," said Raven, "So what was this about you having other dreams?"

Harry looked at her, "What other dreams."

"The dreams you had last year. That you told Dumbledore about."

Harry sighed, "This may sound weird, but I have this connection to Voldemort.

When I was a baby, he…he killed my parents, but he couldn't kill me, because of this

magical protection love thingy because my mom died for me. So, anyway, I have this sort

of connection with Voldemort. It seems that since he's come back that sometimes when

I'm sleeping I sort of ….get into his mind."

"Wow," said Raven plopping on one of the couches.

"What?" asked Harry.

"I was just that I thought was the only freak in this school."


	22. Unwelcome Decisions

**Aki- **Sorry, its been forever. Remember that this story was begun and planned before

HBP came out, this nothing in that books applies to this fanfiction.This chapter skips

ahead a bit to the attack, but that is because there is nothing interesting in between so…

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 22**

**Unwelcome Decisions **

Black cloth rustled in darkness as the sounding of footsteps began lightly tapping

the stone floor. They were all trying to be silent, but their wands were poised, the hoods

drawn, and tension high. The group of Death Eaters walked along the hidden passage

they had discovered. It was narrow, one way, forkless, until it reached the main body of

the castle.

A bat squeaked above and flew off down the passageway beyond them being

disturbed by the men. It was so dark they didn't see it was green. As they passed beyond

the doorway from the outside, it closed almost noiselessly behind them. As they walked

down the hallway they did not see the glowing green eyes in the air behind them

When the group of Death Eaters got fairly in front of them Starfire landed on the

ground, setting down Robin, how had been in her arms. They both swiftly and silently

snuck up behind the group. Robin got particularly close to one of the lagers. In a second,

he put on hand over the man's mouth and used the other to press a pressure point on his

neck. He instantly went limp and unconscious as Robin laid him silently on the ground

and bound his hands, kicking his fallen wand aside.

In a few minutes Starfire had done the same to another Death Eater, but instead

of using a pressure point she knocked him very hard on the head. They had to be careful

and slow. He almost got noticed once, but Starfire quickly grabbed Robin and flew out of

their eyesight. They got about five down before the Death Eaters reached the end of the

passageway.

**linelinelinelinelineline**

Raven was anxious. She wished she could pace or meditate or something then just

stand their, but she couldn't. It was complete dark and she was surrounded by wizards

and witches awaiting an attack.

A green bat came flying and squeaking from the passage. Everyone tensed. It was

the signal. They were coming. The bat landed next to Raven and transformed into Beast

Boy.

"Good work," she whispered to him.

"Thanks," he answered, "But I'm worried about Star and Robin." Raven nodded,

but Beast Boy could barely see her.

"It's time," she whispered before, chanting, "Azarath Metrion Zinthos." A black

magic shield then covered the wizards. Voldemort's secret weapon was now his

unsuspected enemy.

They had not contacted the ministry. First, who would believe them? Who would

take the similar dreams of two teenagers as a serious source? Secondly, if they did

believe it, the ministry would have swarmed all over the school, blowing their cover and

probably tipping off Voldemort that they knew his plan thus ruining all chance of

capturing Death Eaters. Plus, they wouldn't have let students, with good cause, who were

determined to fight, fight.

Everyone was just waiting for the impending doom that was coming. All the

teachers were present and most members of the Order along with a good handful of

students, mostly those who had been in the D.A., but not secluded to.

Raven stiffened, yet kept her concentration when she heard footsteps. They were

here.

"Now!" came Dumbledore's voice and the lights suddenly turned on, stunning the

unsuspecting enemy. Spells flew down upon them in crazy flashes of colored light:

stunners, disarmers, freezers. The Death Eaters attempted to fight back, but their were

surrounded and the spells just rebounded off the black magical barrier Raven had put up.

It was not long 'til Voldemort called for retreat. It wasn't supposed to be like this

for them. It was supposed to be a surprise attack, but they were somehow figured out. It

was better to live and fight another day.

The sound of triumph filled the room. Students were jumping up and down,

screaming and hugging. The teachers were more wary though, Dumbledore leading a

group to make sure the Dark Lord and his cronies were really gone while the others

successful bound the injured and unconscious Death Easters who had been left behind.

Raven finally dropped her arms to her sides in exhaustion, letting the black field

fall. It had been hard to hold such a large, long-lasting field like that one had been. Just

then Starfire pulled Raven into a bone-crushing hug.

"Yes, your plan was successful!" she exclaimed exuberantly.

"Yeah, good work," said Beast Boy with a smile.

"Thanks," she replied.

**Linelinelinelineline**

"Dumbledore, I cannot believe you did not contact the Ministry with this

situation," complained a tired and annoyed Cornelius Fudge as he followed a rather

energetic despite the time in the morning Headmaster of Hogwarts throughout the castle

to his office.

"Would the Ministry would have done anything if they heard what are sources,

the two students, were and how they came about the information?" questioned

Dumbledore cryptically.

"That- That's not the point," blustered Fudge.

"On the contrary, much the point, Cornelius."

Fudge continued, ignoring Dumbledore's last statement, "And don't get me on

how you allowed the students to fight."

"I sincerely don't see the problem."

Fudge floundered for a moment, "This is a school, not a military base."

"Now, Cornelius, I think you will agree the that that comparison is hardly suitable

or true."

"Now Dumbledore," said Fudge more earnestly, trying a softer more forgiving

approach, "I know you are a," Fudge paused, "Revolutionary type of man and this

problem with the students fighting is excusable due to no one getting hurt, but I, as an

advocate for the Ministry, must address the issue of the five children you have taken in,

the American ones."

"I hardly see an issue, Cornelius," replied Dumbledore calmly.

"They're muggles, Albus! And that is just the least of it. We know nothing about

their pasts or allegiances. Plus, if rumor has it true, one of them had been in cahoots with

You- Know- Who."

"Rumors are really an unreliable source of information."

"So you deny it!"

"No, I'm just saying that the Minister of Magic should really be basing his

convictions on more… trustworthy sources than rumors, especially ones that float about

schools."

"But is it true?"

"Partially."

"Partially?"

"There were outside circumstances that forced one of the five children to behave

according to Voldemort's will." Fudge flinched "But did no real harm, and proved

trustworthy and helpful in other matters, like assisting in protecting this castle this very

night."

"That doesn't change the fact that they are muggles."

"They needed protection from Voldemort, I gave them that."

"Again, why wasn't the Ministry contacted?"

"I barely saw need to contact the Ministry on such a trivial matter that I could

easily deal with myself."

"Trivial! Trivial matter! This is by no means a trivial matter. Five children, all

from the States, none of which are one of us, have been brought into our world, shown

our ways, our secrets, our people. You- Know –Who is after them. This isn't safe for

anyone involved."

"What do you propose Cornelius?"

"We send them home! We send them home after their memories of the last few

days and this place are erased."

Dumbledore rebutted a little on edge, "Their home was attacked-"  
Fudge interrupted, "I already have my people on it. At this very moment there are

witches and wizards at the Teen Titians', or whatever they call themselves, Tower,

restoring it, so it will be like they never left and none of this ever happened. _And_," said

Fudge loudly to keep from interruption, "They are setting up some magical barriers for

their protection."

"The best protection you can give them is their memories, so if Voldemort or his

Death Eaters ever attack them again, they'll know what they are up against!" said

Dumbledore angrily.

"That is out of the question."

"Well Cornelius, I do not agree or support your decisions."

"I'm sorry to hear that Dumbledore, but this is out of your hands and in the

Ministry of Magic's. We'll be back at noon tomorrow," Fudge checked his golden

pocket watch, "Well, today actually. You can give them the news if you wish, just make

sure that they don't mysteriously run away or disappear, because I'll know it was your

doing. Good day."

And with that Cornelius Fudge placed with bowler cap on his head and marched

out of the room. Dumbledore sat down in his chair and sighed. It didn't look like their

was much that he could do.

* * *

Sorry, the formating might be a little wierd. 


	23. forgetting, remebering, & understanding

AKI- First I want to apologise for how long it has been between the last couple chapters, I sort of lost inspiration and got caught up in school and writing other things, but I wanted to finish this story because I knew where I was going and had an end in sight.In case you didn't notice, this is the last chapter and I hope it doesn't disappoint anybody, but I have long planned the story to end here and like this, so this is just not a rushed ending. Again, hope you enjoy it. Please tell, if you want, on your reviews, your feelings...

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 23**

**Forgetting, Remembering, and Understanding **

They had just heard the news. The Titans and the friends they had made at

Hogwarts sat somberly alone in the Gryffindor common room. Dumbledore had allowed

the classes of the day to be canceled due to the excitement of the night prior. Most

students were taking advantage of it by sleeping in, having a long breakfast, enjoying the

warm autumn day outside, or catching up on homework that they might of procrastinated.

"This sucks," commented Ginny to the silence of the group, putting none too

elegantly the feelings of the whole group. Cyborg nodded whole-heartedly in agreement.

"Can we do nothing about this?" asked Raven darkly.

"Dumbledore does not agree with this at all," explained Hermione, "If their was a

way he knew you guys could get by secretly without loosing your memories, he would

have told us."

"But your wizards, isn't their something?" asked Robin emphatically.

"Well, unless you can learn how to do our type of silent magic in the next hour or

so, no," answered Harry.

And so the group sat their. Though they had not known each other a long time, it

felt like a terrible lose. For the Hogwarts students it was hard to face that in not to long

they would friends that didn't even remember them, but it was even harder for the Titans.

To lose your memory, especially a memory of an important place and event, with people

that became important to you. It was scary, scratch that, it was horrifying, particularly

when you have to sit their and think about it, knowing there is nothing you can do to

change it.

It seemed like only seconds had passed before Ginny glanced at her watch and

then commented, "It's almost time, I think we should say our goodbyes."

The somber group got to their feet tiredly and began a sad farewell of mumbled

memories and regrets, handshakes, hugs, and tears. Raven stood away from the others,

observing them. She wasn't the touchy-feely type, nor was she the emotions type

either. Though the despair was common to her, the tearful goodbyes made her

uncomfortable.

Hermione detatched herself from the main group and went over to Raven.

Hermione sighed, "I hate the fact that I'm never going to get talk to you again, and even

if I do, you wouldn't remember me."

Raven nodded.

"Even thought I we only knew each other for a very short time, I kinda considered

you a close friend."

"Me too," answered Raven, not as fancily as Hermione, but she meant it.

Next thing Raven knew she was standing stiffly in Hermione's tight embrace.

Raven patted Hermione awkwardly on the back. Raven wasn't used to being hugged

often, except by Starfire.

Hermione stepped back, "Sorry, lost control."

"It's okay."

Hermione glanced over her shoulder and gave a half grin, "Looks like someone

else wants to talk to you."

To Raven's surprise it was Harry.

"I know we for the most of the time you were here we fought, and bickered-,"

"And hated each others guts."

"Yeah," Harry smiled, "But I think you should know that I respect you and I

hope you respect me in return." Harry held out his hand. Raven observed it for a moment

before she reached out and clasped it.

"We're good," answered Raven with a half grin which Harry returned.

"I guess I learned some things about not judging people before I know them," said

Harry.

Raven was silent for a moment before saying, "I guess _I _learned some things

about working with people even if you don't like them."

Neither had anything else to say, but they understood each other perfectly. It

might have been because they were too alike. Both cynical in their own way, but

infinitively trusting in their few close friends, as well as being overprotective of them. Both with dark

pasts filled with secrets and questions they would rather leave unanswered And powers

with potential they could hardly control. But what connected them the most was that the

two of them had both faced the choices and chances to turn to the dark and evil side, but

hadn't.

A dry cough that was a clearing of a thought brought the teenagers attention to the

doorway were McGonagall stood. Her mouth was held in a firm straight line, and though

her expression was an attempt at stony, emotionless, and indifferent, it ended up looking

like a sicken grimace.

"It's time," she said hoarsely.

The Teen Titans and the Hogwarts students glanced at each other, neither group

actually believing this was happening. It was though they had hoped all along they would

somehow get out of it. They group murmured regretful last goodbyes to each other before

separating, none trusting themselves with more emotional farewells.

The Titans followed the saddened professor out of the Gryffindor common room

and into the mass corridors of Hogwarts castle in single file. They didn't talk to each

other, each lost in their own thoughts.

Robin, Cyborg, Starfire, and Beast Boy, observed the halls as they passed through

them as though trying to absorb as much as they could or lock their memories away as to

protect them. Raven followed behind the rest of them by a few paces, hood drawn and

head downcast so that she couldn't be looking at anything but the floor or the other

Titans' feet.

Somehow it had the feeling of a condemned man's last walk to the gallows. It felt

like an eternity, but yet still not enough time, before the reached an extra room near the

entrance of the school were Dumbledore, a balding man wearing a pinstripe suit under his

robes, also know as Cornelius Fudge, and several others ministry wizards were watching.

"We better get this over with," said Fudge as the five teens and McGonagall

paused in front of them outside the door in the hallway.

"A moment, please," said Dumbledore in way that made it sound more like a

demand than a request, "For farewells."

Fudge sighed in an annoyed manner, "Make it quick Dumbledore," before

disappearing into the awaiting room.

"Well, I must say it was a pleasure having all of you and even though you will not

remember us in a few short minutes, you will always be remembered," the headmaster

said in almost fake cheeriness.

The Titans were not heartened at all.

Suddenly a look of great wisdom and a little sadness came upon the aged wizard

as he locked eyes with each of them in turn even Raven through the shadow of her

hood.

And he held her eye contact as he spoke, his power almost scaring the empathy

because she could not break away even if she dared to, "Do not give up hope, this is not

the end by any means. Even if this brief adventure in your young lives is over and

forgotten, you have many awaiting you, just know that your contribution and aid you

have given so selflessly to this school and the wizarding community as a whole has

helped us beyond any fit words of thanking."

Some of the dread and anxiety disappearing from the four young heroes standing

before Dumbledore. And it was enough.

"Well, I best not be delay you any longer or dear old Cornelius will come after me

too," said Dumbledore, back into his happy façade. He gave a goodbye nod or handshake

as they passed by him one by one into the awaiting room, but when he got to Raven he

stopped her.

"You really have an extraordinary power, Raven."

Raven said nothing.

"Being able to block things, material or energy, with your form of magic, and,

most surprisingly, our type of magic… well I bet you can even create a shield inside

yourself."

Raven just looked at Dumbledore, confused. Then he winked at her.

"Well, goodbye Raven," he said, dismissing her to the next room. He was one

really strange old man, but he had just given her great advice.

She didn't pay attention as they were sat down in the next room and explained to

that no harm would come to them and this was just a necessary precaution and they next

thing they would know they would be waking up in their own beds unaware of any of the

events that had happened in the last few days.

Instead her eyes were shut in a silent meditation, locking everything, even herself,

inside her mind. It needed to be perfect. She whispered as quietly as possible her magic

words under her breath, "Azerath Metrion Zinthos. The wizards saying their own magic

words was the last things she heard before forcing herself unconscious.

**linelinelinelineline**

Raven sat on the couch in the Titan Tower's common room as far as she could

from Cyborg and Beast Boy who were loudly and violently playing a video game.

Robin's music was blasting even louder, as in attempt to drown the others out as he

monitored his computer for any sign of trouble in the city while, in an oversight, Starfire

was allowed fixing a traditional Tameranian meal again.

Raven hadn't mentioned a thing about Hogwarts to the others, knowing they

wouldn't remember and would think her crazy, or if, by chance, it had all been just an

elaborate dream, but she doubted it. The half-demon Titan had succeed in preserving her

memories, by locking them away in her subconscious and clearing her mind like she had

done many times before in her daily meditations. Then she created just a hint of her black

magical aurora, but instead of releasing it outside her body via her hands, she kept it

inside and thus secretly deflected the memory erasing spell with the wizards being none

the wiser.

Raven was slightly upset that the others didn't remember because of the

deepening of some of their relationships with a new mutual understanding, but she didn't

let it get to her. She had gained something much more. A single new respect and

appreciation of her friends, yes friends, the best, despite their quirks.

So as Raven sat their with the noise and the arguing and the strange smell coming

from the kitchen area she hid a smile behind her book. Not a grin or a smirk, but a full

smile. No matter how annoying it could be Raven never wanted to live a life without this,

somehow comforting, residing chaos.

But right now, it was just another day at Teen Titan Tower.

**The End**

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**Hope the format didn't turn out to weird, but u know how the computer can be. R&R! 


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